DIOSCORIDES
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
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work, the editor/translator hereby asserts
copyright. Permission of the publisher is
required for any excerpts or copies made
from the text.
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be in the public domain.
© Tess Anne Osbaldeston
First published in 2000
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Bursera gummifera
after FAGUET — 1888 [opposite]
DIOSCORIDES
de MATERIA MEDICA
BEING AN
HERBAL
WITH MANY OTHER
MEDICINAL MATERIALS
WRITTEN IN GREEK IN THE FIRST CENTURY OF THE COMMON ERA
A NEW INDEXED VERSION IN MODERN ENGLISH BY TA OSBALDESTON AND RPA WOOD
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
CONTENTS
EDITORIAL PREFACE — vii
ORIGINAL DEDICATION — viii
BIBLIOGRAPHY — xiii
INTRODUCTION — xx
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS — xl
THE BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS — xlii
PRINTED BOOKS — il
GAZETTEER OF DIOSCORIDES' WORLD — lxviii
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS — 1
OILS — 34
OINTMENTS —48
GUMS from TREES — 78
FRUIT from TREES — 149
FRUIT TREES — 153
BOOK TWO — 183
LIVING CREATURES — 184
FATS —212
FRUMENTACEA: CEREALS — 229
LACHANA: VEGETABLES — 243
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY — 304
BOOK THREE: ROOTS — 363
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS — 377
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS — 541
BOOK FIVE: VINES & WINES — 741
WINES — 747
OTHER WINES — 759
METALLIC STONES — 781
INDEXES
ALTERNATE NAMES — 832
ILLUSTRATIONS — 847
LATINISED GREEK NAMES — 851
MEDICINAL USES etc. — 860
PLANT MATERIALS etc. — 885
POISONOUS MATERIALS — 926
V
for Laura
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
EDITORIAL PREFACE
P edanius Dioscorides the Greek wrote this DeM aterid
M edica approximately two thousand years ago. In
1655 John Goodyer made an English translation from a
manuscript copy, and in 1933 Robert T Gunther edited
this, Hafner Publishing Co, London & New York,
printing it. This was probably not corrected against the
Greek, and this version of Goodyer's Dioscorides makes
no such attempt either.
The purpose of this new edition is to offer a more
accessible text to today's readers, as the 'english-ed' copy
by Goodyer is generously endowed with post-medieval
terminology and is presently out of print. The reader may
wish to refer to Greek, Latin, or other versions —
including these lies beyond the scope of the present
effort. I have not attempted to make the text uniform, and
though I have included some sixteenth-century and
Linnaean names, many do not indicate current usage.
While it is not my intention to contribute to the
controversy surrounding the true identities of the plants,
minerals, and creatures in De Materia M edica, where
available I have suggested possible plant names, with an
indication of other plants using the same name today. I
will appreciate any pertinent information that has been
overlooked, and wish to acknowledge the errors that
remain. Thus the proposed herbs provide some
possibilities, and the reader is invited to place a personal
interpretation upon the material. The illustrations
suggest further options in some instances.
Dioscorides' treatise is not offered as a primary
resource for medical treatment. Readers should in the
first instance obtain medical advice from qualified,
registered health professionals. Many treatments
considered acceptable two thousand years ago are
useless or harmful. This particularly applies to the
abortifacients mentioned in the manuscript, most of
which contain toxins considered dangerous in the
required doses. With all this in mind, I believe the
information in this document is still of interest and
benefit to us, after all this time.
Burseragummifera
after FAGUET— 1888
vii
T ess A nneO sbaldeston
Johannesburg, South Africa, June 2000
ORIGINAL DEDICATION
Cupressus sempervirens
after FAGUET— 1888
ORIGINAL DEDICATION
Dearest Areius,
Although many of the writers nowadays, as well as
those in ancient times, wrote discourses on the
preparations, strengths and dosage of drugs, I will
attempt to prove to you that I did not choose to
undertake this through vanity or impulsiveness. Some of
those authors did not complete their attempts, while
others copied previous historical documents. Iolas from
Bithynia and Hexa elides from Tarentum briefly
considered the subject but they completely omitted any
systematic discussion of herbs and ignored metals and
spices. Crateuas the rhizotomist and Andreas the
physician seem to have had greater knowledge of this
particular area than most, but have ignored many
extremely useful roots and gave meagre descriptions of
many herbs. Still I must admit that although they told us
little, the ancients applied great effort in their work. I am
not completely in agreement with most modern writers,
among them Julius Bassus, Niceratus and Petronius,
Niger and Diodotus, who are all asdepiads [poets]. In a
way they have condescended to describe commonplace
information familiar to all but they have explained the
strengths of medicines and their properties briefly, not
considering their value by personal experience, but by
worthless discussion created needless controversy
regarding each medicine, and in addition they have
mistakenly recorded one thing for another. So Niger,
who it seems is a man of importance among them,
declares euphorbion to be the juice of a chamelaia that
grows in Italy; androsaimon is considered the same as
hyper icon; and aloe is a mineral found in Judea; and in the
face of contradictory evidence he reports an abundance
of untruths, which proves that he obtained his
information from erroneous gossip, not from personal
experience. Additionally they have erred in the
categorisation of medicines: some associate those of quite
different powers, others establish an alphabetical system
in their discussions and thus separate types and activities
of materials that are similar, so that they become harder
to remember. From my youth I have had an unceasing
inquisitiveness regarding knowledge of this subject, and
I have travelled widely (as you know, I was a soldier), so I
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
have taken your advice and assembled all that I have
discussed and have written it down in five books. I
dedicate this collection to you, as a token of my grateful
appreciation for the friendship you have shown me. You
are always a ready friend to anyone obsessed by
knowledge, particularly in this profession, and even
more especially to myself. It is clear from the love that
wonderful man Licinius Bassus has for you, that you
express a loving benevolence that I experienced (I
noticed when I stayed with you, the unsurpassing
generosity that you shared). I ask that you and all who
may read these discussions will not consider so much the
value of my words as the effort and practical work that I
have based the work on. With careful investigation —
since I know many plants personally, and others from
previous writings that are generally approved of — and
patiently inquiring (by questioning the local inhabitants)
about each type of plant, I will attempt a different
classification, and also try to explain the varieties and
uses of each one of them. Obviously we can agree that a
systematic discourse on medicines is necessary, as this is
the basis of the entire profession of healing and gives
considerable aid to every discipline. So that the scope
may fully cover methods of preparation, compounds,
and tests on illnesses, and because information about
each individual drug is necessary for this, I intend to
assimilate things that are common knowledge and those
that are somehow related so that the information will be
exhaustive. First it is necessary to pay attention to storing
and gathering plants, and only at the proper harvest
time, for unless care is taken drugs can either be potent or
become useless. Herbs should be collected on a sunny
day, as it matters considerably if it is raining when the
harvest is gathered. The places they grow also matter;
specific medicinal herbs are stronger or weaker if found
on hills and mountains; if exposed to winds; if their
position is cool and arid — their strength can rest entirely
on such conditions. Healing herbs located in the open or
in bogs and dark places that do not permit the circulation
of air are generally of poorer strength, particularly if they
are collected at the wrong time, or are rotten and of
inferior quality. We must remember that plants often
mature sooner or are delayed depending on the
peculiarities of the locale and the variability of the
seasons, and although certain herbs by their very nature
ORIGINAL DEDICATION
are winter-growing and -flowering, some may flower more
than once a year. It is essential that someone wanting to be
an accomplished herbalist should observe the first new
growths of the herbs as well as their mature expression and
their eventual decline. Otherwise a person seeing only a
new shoot will be unable to identify the same flourishing
plant, and having seen only its full growth will not know
the seedling. Due to varieties in the forms of leaves, the
proportions of stems, and the appearances of flowers and
fruits and certain other familiar features, those who have
neglected careful examination in the right manner have
committed serious errors. This is why certain writers have
erred grievously in their discussions of certain herbs —
saying that they have no stalks, fruit or flowers —
mentioning gramen, tussilago, and quinquefolium. So the
individual who continually examines plants growing in
different localities will learn the most about them.
Furthermore, it is important to note that among medicinal
herbs only black and white hellebore keep their potency for
a long time. Most other plants are viable for up to three
years. Branching plants such as stoechas, chamaidrus, potion,
abrotanum, seriphium, absinthium and hyssopum etc., must be
harvested when they are full of seed; flowers must be
collected while still on the plant; fruits must be allowed to
ripen; and seeds should be starting to dry, but still on the
plant. To express the plant liquids, use stems and leaves that
are new. To harvest saps and resins make incisions in the
mature stalks. To collect roots for storage or to press out
their liquids or to remove their coverings, wait until the
leaves start to fall off the plant. Clean roots can be stored
right away in places that are not damp, however any soil
adhering to the roots should be rinsed off with water.
Blossoms and perfumed materials must be kept in dry
limewood boxes but certain plants are adequately stored in
paper or leaf wrappings to protect the seeds. Preparations
that contain moisture require substantial containers from
materials such as silver, glass or horn. Even thick ceramic
containers are acceptable, and even wood, especially
boxwood. Brass receptacles are ideal for eye medicines,
liquids, and preparations including vinegar, liquid pitch or
cedria [oil of cedar]; but fats and marrow should be stored in
tin boxes.
1TEAAKIOY AIOEKOPIAOY
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A list of books and monographs dealing with, or related to the writings of
Pedanios Dioscorides, including those consulted in preparing this volume
Albertus Magnus, Albert of Bollstaedt, De vegetabilibus libri 1 //'/',
translators Meyer, EHF and Jessen, KFW, Georgii Reimeri, Berolini 1867
[manuscript written before 1256].
Anderson, Frank J. An illustrated history of the herbals, Columbia
University Press, New York 1912. Reprint 1977, paperback 1997.
Anderson, Frank J. Illustrated Bartsch: Herbals before 1500: commentary,
1984.
Arber, Agnes. Herbals, their origin and evolution, a chapter in the history of
botany 1470-1670, Cambridge at the University Press, new edition rewritten
and enlarged 1938.
Baillon, Henri Ernest. H istoire des plantes, L Hachette & Cie, Paris,
London, Leipzig, 13 vols, 1867-1895.
Baillon, Henri Ernest. The natural history of plants, translated by MM
Hartog, 8 vols, 1871-1888.
Basmadjian KJ. 'L'identification des noms des plantes du codex
Constantinopal de Dioscoride 1 , in J ournal A siatique, vol 230, 1938, pp577-621.
Bedevian, A K. Illustrated poly glottic dictionary of plant names, 1936.
Berendes, Julius. Die pharmacie bei den alten Kulturvolkern, in Historisch-
kritischeStudien, 2 vols, Tausch & Grasse, Halle 1891. Facsimile edition, Olms,
Hildesheim 1965.
Blunt, Wilfrid with the assistance of William T Stearn. The art of botanical
illustration, number 14, The New Naturalist, A survey of British natural history,
Collins, London. 1971 reprint of 1950 edition.
Blunt, Wilfrid & Raphael, Sandra. The illustrated herbal, Francis Lincoln
and Weidenfeld & Nicholson, London 1979.
Bologa, Valeriu L. 1 sinonimi, "dau" delle piante descritte da Dioscoride
possono servire alia riconstruzione della lingua daca?’, Archeion archivio di
storia della scienza, vol 12, Rome 1930, ppl66-170.
Bonnet, Edmond. ’Essai d'identification des plantes medicinales
mentionnees par Dioscoride, d'apres les peintures d'un manscrit de la
Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris (Ms Grec No 2179)', Janus, 1903, Huitieme
Annee 4-6: 1-21, vol 8, ppl69-177, 225-232, 281-285.
Bonnet, Edmond. 'Etude sur les figures de plantes et d'animaux peintes
dans une version arabe, manuscrit de la matiere medicinale de Dioscoride,
conservee a la Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris', in Janus, vol 14, 1909,
pp294-303.
Bridson, Gavin DR & White, James J, compilers. Plant, animal &
anatomical illustration in art & science, a bibliographical guide from the 16th
century to the present day, St Paul's Bibliographies, Winchester in association
with Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Omnigraphics Inc, Detroit
1990.
Brunfels, Otto. H erbarum vivaeei cones ad naturae imitationem summa cum
diligentia et arteficio effigiatae, una cum effectibus earundem in gratiam veteris illius
et jamjam renascentis herbariae medicinae, Joannem Schottum, Argentorati
1530.
Buberl, Paul. ’Beschreibendes verzeichnis der illuminierten
handschriften und inkunabeln der Nationalbibliothek', in Wien, vol 4.1,
Leipzig 1937.
Buberl, Paul. 'Die antikengrundlagen der miniaturen des Wiener
Dioskurideskodex', in J ahrb. Deutsch archaol. I nst., vol 51, pll4, 1936.
xiii
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Crockett, Edith A. ’Matthioli's commentaries and the De Materia Medica
of Dioskorides’, in Bulletin of theH orticultural Society of N ew York, vol 19, New
York 1969, pp9-21.
D' Andrea, Jeanne. Ancient Herbs, The J Paul Getty Museum, Malibu,
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Daubeny, Charles Giles. Essay on the trees and shrubs of the ancients, JH
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Daubeny, Charles Giles. Lectures on Roman husbandry, Oxford 1857.
Davis, Ainsworth. T henatural history of animals, Gresham, London 1907.
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Sigerist, Henry E. 'Materia medica in the middle ages, a review', in
Bulletin of the history of medicine, vol 7, 1939, pp417-423.
Singer, Charles Joseph. 'The herbal in antiquity and its transmission to
later ages', in Journal of FI ellenic Studies, vol 47, 1927, ppl-52 & 10 col plates.
Singer, Charles Joseph. 'Greek biology and its relation to the rise of
modern biology', in Studies in the history and method of science, vol 2, 2 vols.
Clarendon Press, Oxford 1921, ppl-101.
Singer, Charles Joseph with Henry E Sigerist. Essays on the history of
medicine presented to Karl Sudhoff on the occasion of his 70th birthday, vol
26, Ayer Company Publishers 1977.
Singer, Charles Joseph. G reek biology andG reek medicine, AMS Press 1985.
Singer, Charles Joseph with Edgar Ashworth Underwood. Science,
medicine and history, Ayer Company Publishers 1975.
Smit, Pieter, hi istory of the life sciences: an annotated bibliography,
Hafner, New York 1974. Also published as Bibliography of life science, Asher,
Amsterdam 1974.
Sprague, Thomas Archibald. 'The herbal of Otto Brunfels', in T he journal
oftheLinnean Society of London (Botany) vol XL VIII, 1928, pp79-124.
Sprague, Thomas Archibald and Nelmes, E. 'The herbal of Leonhart
Fuchs', in T he journal oftheLinnean Society of London (Botany) vol XL VIII, 1931,
pp545-642.
Sprague, Thomas Archibald. 'Technical terms in Ruellius' Dioscorides 1 ,
in Bulletin of M isceilaneous Information, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, No 2,
1936, ppl45-185.
Sprague, Thomas Archibald and Sprague, M S. ’The herbal of Valerius
Cordus', in Thejournal oftheLinnean Society of London (Botany) vol LII, 1939,
ppl-113.
Sprengel, Kurt Polycarp Joachim. FI istoria res herbariae, 2 vols, Sumtibus
Tabernae Librariae et Artium, Amsteldami 1807-1808.
Sprengel, Kurt Polycarp Joachim. Geschichte der botanik, neu bearbeitet, 2
vols, Brockhaus, Altenburg 1817-1818.
Stadler, H. 'Lateinische Pflanzennamen im Dioskorides', in/\ rch. Latein.
Lexikogr., vol 10, 1898, pages 85-115.
Stadler, H. 'Pflanzennamen im Dioskorides', in Arch. Latein. Lexikogr.
Vol 11, 1900, pages 105-114.
Stadler, Hermann. Theophrast und Dioscorides, in Abhandlungen aus dem
Gebiet der Classischen A Itertumswissenschaft, Beck, Munchen 1891, ppl76-187.
Stafleu, Frans A. Linnaeus and theLinnaeans, IAPT, Utrecht 1971.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stannard, Jerry. 'Dioscorides and Renaissance materia medica', in
Analecta medico-historica materia medica in the XVI century (Proc. Sympos. Int.
Acad. Hist. Med., Basel, 1964) Pergamon, Oxford 1966, ppl-21.
Stannard, Jerry. 'PA Matthioli and some Renaissance editions of
Dioscorides', in B ooks, Library of the University of Kansas, vol 4, 1966, ppl-5.
Stannard, Jerry. 'The Graeco-Roman background of the Renaissance
herbal 1 , in Organon, vol 4, 1967, ppl41-145.
Stannard, Jerry. 'PA Mattioli: Sixteenth-century commentator on
Dioscorides', in U niversity of Kansas Library Bibliographic Contributions, vol 1,
1969, pp59-81.
Stannard, Jerry. 'Byzantine botanical lexicography', in E pi Sterne, vol 5,
1971, ppl68-187.
Stannard, Jerry. 'Greco-Roman materia medica in medieval Germany',
in Bulletin of the history of medicine, vol 46, Baltimore, Maryland, 1972,
pp455-468.
Stearn, WT. 'Codex Aniciae Julianae: the earliest illustrated herbal', in
Graphis, vol 10 (54), 1954, pages 322-329.
Stearn, William Thomas. 'From Theophrastus and Dioscorides to
Sibthorp and Smith: the background and origin of the Flora Graeca', in
Journal oftheLinnean Society Biology, vol 8, 1976, pp285-298.
Stearn, WT. 'Sibthorp, Smith the "Flora Graeca" and the "Florae Graecae
Prodromus"', in T axon, vol 16, 1967, pages 168-178.
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Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Graz 1960.
Steinschneider, Moritz. 'Die griechischen Aertze in arabischen
Uebersetzunge, #30, Dioskorides', in Virchow's Archiv fur pathologische
Anatomie und klinische Medizin, vol CXXIV (ser 12, vol IV), Berlin, 1891,
pp480-483.
Sternberg K K. Catalogus plantarum ad septem varias editiones
commentariorum M atthioli in Dioscoridem, Pragae 1821.
Stromberg, Reinhold. 'Griechische pflanzennamen', in Goteborgs
H ogskolas A rsskrift U niversitatis G otoburgensis, vol 46, 1940, ppl-190.
Sudhoff, Karl .Archiv fur geschichteder medezin, Leipzig 1917.
Taylor, Norman. Plant Drugs that changed the World, George Allen &
Unwin, London 1966.
Temkin, Owsei. The double face of Janus and other essays in the history of
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Thomson, Margaret H. Textes grecs inedits relatifs aux pi antes, Societe
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Trew, Christoph Jakob. The Herbal of the Count Palatine, an eighteenth-
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xviii
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
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Leipzig 1898, ppl-31.
Wellmann, Max. 'Die Pflanzennamen des Dioskurides', in FI ermes, vol
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2 pis.
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R eal-E ncyclopadieder classischen A Itertumsw issenschaft, vol 5, 1903, colsll31-42.
Wessely, C. 'De herbarum nominibus graecis in Dioscoridis codice
Constantinopolitano Vindobonensis arabicis litteris expressis', in A Ctes XIV
Congres Internat. Oriental. Alger., section 6, 1905, ppl-18.
Whittle, Tyler. The pi ant hunters, 3450 years of searching for green treasure,
Heinemann, London 1970.
Willkomm, Heinrich Moritz, leones et descriptiones plantarum novarum
criticarum et rariorum europae austro-occi dental is praecipuehispaniae, 2 vols, AH
Payne, Lipsiae 1852-56.
See also the List of Printed Books based on manuscripts of Dioscorides, particularly:
Agricola
Alphabetum empiricum
Amatus Lusitanus
Anguillara
Barbaro
Bauhin
Berendes
Bock/Tragus
Brunfels
Cesalpino
Contant
Cordus, Erich
Cordus, Valerius
Dodoens
Dubler
Fabius Columna /Colonna
Fuchs
Gesner
Guillandinus
Gunther / Goodyer
Holtzachius
Jacquin
Jarava
Karabacek
Laguna
Lobel
Lonitzer
Maranta
Marcello Virgilio
Marogna
Mattioli
Pasini
Pena & L'Obel
1539
1581
1536, 1553
1561, 1563
1516, 1530
1623, 1671
1902
1539, 1546, 1551, 1552
1530, 1543
1583, 1603
1628
1551
1561
1553-1619
1953-1959
1616
1542, 1543, 1544
1541, 1542, 1577
1557, 1558
1934, 1959
1556
1811
1557
1906
1554, 1555
1576, 1581, 1591, 1655
1543
1559
1518, 1523, 1529
1608
1544, 1548, 1554, 1555, 1561, 1598
1591, 1592
1570, 1576, 1605
Pierpont Morgan Bibliothecae / Codex
Constantinopolitanus 1935
Pona 1623
Ruellius / de la Ruelle 1516,
Ryff 1543,
Serapion 1473,
Sibthorp 1806-
Sprengel 1829-
Sternberg 1566,
Textor 1534
Zorn 1714,
Vries 1906
Wellman 1906-
1526. 1529. 1545. 1549
1544. 1549
1479, 1531, 1552
1813, 1806-1840
1830
1821
1779, 1794
1914
xix
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
PEDIANOS DIOSCORIDES
THE MAN
P edianos Dioscorides, also known as Pedanius
Dioskourides, probably lived between 40CE and 90CE
in the time of the Roman Emperors Nero and Vespasian.
A Cilician Greek, he was born in Anazarbos (now
Nazarba, near Tarsus) within the Roman Empire of the
day, and today in Turkey. A learned physician, he
practiced medicine as an army doctor, and saw service
with the Roman legions in Greece, Italy, Asia Minor, and
Provence in modern-day France. His military years
provided opportunities for studying diseases, collecting
and identifying medicinal plants, and discovering other
healing materials. Dioscorides compiled his medical
treatise at the suggestion of a fellow-physician, Areius.
He had access to the library at Alexandria, and may have
studied at Tarsus. He recorded many plants previously
unknown to Greek and Roman physicians, and made an
effort to describe not only their qualities and remedial
effects, but also something of their botany and living
morphology — including roots, foliage, and sometimes
flowers. Although not as naive as many other herbal
writers, he showed little scientific interest —
concentrating rather on the practical uses of plants —
and sometimes giving only brief descriptions, perhaps
from other primary souces. In all he described some one
thousand remedies using approximately six hundred
plants and plant products.
Dioscorides probably wrote his great herbal in about
64CE (according to Pritzel 77CE). These medicinal and
alimentary plants number about a hundred more plants
than all those (medicinal or not) known to the great
botanist Theophrastus, and described in his fine
botanical work, the Enquiry into Plants, some two
centuries before. Theophrastus of Eresos (a village on the
Greek island of Lesbos) lived from about 372 to 286BCE. A
pupil of Plato and close friend of Aristotle, he is the
earliest known systematic botanical author in Europe. He
XX
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
discussed about 500 plants (or plant products) familiar at
that time, including almost forty plants still used in
medicine today, and mentioned plants from all regions of
the known world, including India, Egypt and Cyrenaica,
possibly discovered during the military campaigns of
Alexander the Great. Theophrastus drew on the work of
Diokles of Karystos (about 300BCE), a fellow-student of
Aristotle.
Dioscorides added extensively to the range of plants
used in medicine. He was a contemporary of the Roman,
Pliny, whose monumental work on natural history (the
history of the world) mentions about 1000 different
plants. There is no evidence that they met, and Pliny may
not have read Dioscorides' work. Gaius Plinius Secundus,
known as Pliny the Elder, was born in Como in 23CE and
died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79CE. A busy
Roman official, Pliny was also a prolific author, though
only the thirty-seven books of his Historia Naturalis
survived. He transcribed the knowledge of his time in
accurate and precise detail, uncritically adding myths,
legends, superstitions, personal observations, and
opinions in a discursive, entertaining, encyclopaedic
work. Pliny is less systematic and more credulous than
Dioscorides. Pliny's remedies while no more effective are
generally more unpleasant.
For almost two millenia Dioscorides was regarded as
the ultimate authority on plants and medicine. The plant
descriptions in his Ilepi u?ir|C, laxpucri 1 or De Materia
M edica were often adequate for identification, including
methods of preparation, medicinal uses, and dosages.
There is also a minor work bearing the name of
Dioscorides, Ilepi cot?icov (|)appaKcov 2 , but this may not be
authentic. Recognising the usefulness of his medical
botany and phytography, his readers probably
overestimated their worth. In truth, Theophrastus was
the scientific botanist; Pliny produced the systematic
encyclopaedia of knowledge; and Dioscorides was
merely a medical botanist. However Dioscorides
1 Singer, Charles. 'The Herbal in Antiquity', in Thejoumal of Hellenic Studies, vol XL VII, 1927,
pl9.
2 ibid. pl9 and note 45.
xxi
INTRODUCTION
achieved overwhelming commendation and approval
because his writings addressed the many ills of mankind
most usefully.
THE TEACHINGS
Dioscorides was one of the first writers to emphasize
observing plants in their native habitats, and at all stages
of growth. D e M ateria M edica also instructs on collecting,
using, and storing drugs from vegetable, animal and
mineral sources. There are about seventy animal-product
remedies, including two using vipers' flesh, a famous
poison antidote. This snake meat (pickled in oil, wine, salt
and dill) was also recommended for sharpening eyesight,
and for nerves. A popular remedial delicacy mentions
viper roasted with salt, honey, figs and nardostachys
(spikenard), and made into a soup. Dioscorides' plant
descriptions use an elementary classification, though he
cannot be said to have used botanical taxonomy. Book
One discusses aromatic plants; growths that provide oily,
gummy or resinous products for use in salves and
ointments; then the fleshy fruits, even if not aromatic.
Book Two begins with animal products of dietetic and
medicinal use, continuing with cereals and leguminous,
malvaceous, cruciferous and other garden herbs. Book
Three covers roots, juices, herbs and seeds used for food
or medicine; and Book Four includes narcotic and
poisonous medicinal plants. Book Five mentions vines,
wines and metallic ores. Dioscorides does not adopt
Theophrastus' philosophic treatment of plants, nor his
classification using botanical characteristics. Dioscorides'
qualitative classification (properties and uses) suits his
medicinal purposes. Nevertheless, when necessary, he
classifies separately; such as Sambucus where he
distinguishes one species as a herb and the other as
woody, almost a tree. He also recognises the familiar
natural families of plants such as the labiate genera, the
leguminous, the umbelliferous, the composites and the
solanaceous plants.
Together with Pliny's encyclopaedic writings,
Dioscorides' De Materia M edica provides important
documentation about drugs in the early Roman Empire,
as well as offering interesting insights into daily life. For
example, the Romans used green twigs of Pistacia
XXII
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
lentiscus for brushing teeth; they made henna shampoo
by pounding henna leaves soaked in the juice of
soapwort; other yellow hair-dyes came from Rhamnus,
Zizyphus and Xanthium; and black hair-dyes from gum
arabica, oak, oak galls, Rhus, myrtle, ivy. Salvia species
and Sambucus ebulus. They blackened eyebrows and
eyelashes with vegetable soot from the burnt resin of
coniferae. They used oil from wild olives to stop falling
hair, and keep it from turning grey; and made hair tonic
from a mixture of myrrh, ladanum, myrtle oil and wine.
Bear grease was said to make hair grow again; and they
used a creamy extract of fenugreek flour for cleaning
hair. Cleansing and beautifying lotions for the
complexion included Sicyonian oil, almond oil, mastic oil,
oil of fenugreek, oil of bitter almonds, fats of geese and
poultry, lizard dung, Sardinian honey, bitter vetch flour,
lupin flour, and juice from a gourd or vegetable marrow.
Latex from Euphorbia characias was mixed with oil for a
depilatory. Much as we do today, cosmetics and
medicines were prepared side by side in Roman times,
and sold in the same shop. The ordinary name for a
druggist's shop was seplasia ; within the shop the
seplasiarii were ointment-makers, and the pigmentarii sold
dyes and colours. In time the two designations became
interchangeable.
In his original introduction Dioscorides states that
many physicians provided superficial accounts of the
properties and diagnostic uses of drugs, often confusing
one plant with another. Pliny the Elder confirms that
physicians of his day knew little about compounding
medications, entrusting these matters to seplasiarii, who
frequently supplied spoiled or adulterated drugs. We
learn from Fuchs that even in the sixteenth century
hardly any contemporary physicians in Germany valued
accurate knowledge of medicinal plants. This
information did not concern them and was beneath their
dignity — they left the study of medicinal plants to the
superstitious, the foolish and old peasant women.
Dioscorides also discusses adulteration, frequently
mentioning methods of falsification or substitution, and
means of detection. For example, root of valeriana was
adulterated with butcher's broom, which might be
noticed because it became hard, difficult to break, and
lacked a pleasant smell; and frankincense was frequently
adulterated with pine resin and gum. D e M ateria M edica
xxiii
INTRODUCTION
discusses the preparation of oils and unguents at length.
Spissamenta (astringents) were added to preserve and
thicken oil, and make it retain desired perfumes from
odoramenta (aromatic herbs, aromata). Various forms of
medication included acopa, cataplasmata, malagmata,
eclegmata and catapotia. An acopum was a soothing or
stimulatory liniment. Cataplasmata were plasters or
poultices. M alagmata were emollient poultices. An eclegma
(electuary or looch) was a thick syrup to be swallowed
slowly. Catapotia were pills coated with wax or honey.
Dioscorides mentions man dr agora (mandrake), used as an
anaesthetic for amputation or surgery — the patient
became 'overborn with dead sleep ’ 3 so that the surgeon
could painlessly ' cut or cauterise' 4 . Dioscorides used the
Greek word anaesthesia for insensitivity, a term
reintroduced in the nineteenth century.
We find several amusing anecdotes about plants in D e
M ateria M edica. The mandrake was associated with
various myths, presumably because the thick tuberous
roots resemble the human form. Dogs were used to
extract this, as it allegedly screamed when pulled from
the ground, deafening human gatherers. No doubt this
tale intimidated casual collectors and protected the wild
species. It contains hyoscyamine, an anaesthetic used
until the introduction of ether in 1846. The nightshades
( circaea and sol an um species), employed by eminent
poisoners through the centuries, were used to treat
numerous ailments including hayfever. Medicinal
drinking-cups were made from the wood of Tamarix
gallica, and liquid left standing in them was considered
beneficial for disorders of the spleen. In the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries this practice was renewed with
drinking-cups made from Lignum nephriticum, which
gave a brilliant blue fluorescence to water, highly
regarded as a specific for diseases of the kidneys.
Painkillers have always dominated healing texts.
Dioscorides wrote of the willow — itea, probably salix
species — 'a decoction of them is an excellent fomentation for
ye gout' 5 . In due course this knowledge led German
3 TheG reek herbal ofD ioscorides, illustrated by a Byzantine A D 512. Englished by John Goodyer
AD1655, edited and first printed AD1934. 1959 reprint edition, 4-76, p474.
4 ibid. 4-76, p473.
5 ibid. 1-136, p75.
XXIV
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
scientists to aspirin. Dioscorides also mentions autumn
crocus, another painkiller, warning of its dangers. The
world's best-known painkiller is undoubtedly opium,
mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus (an Egyptian medical
book dating from about 1550BCE), as well as by
Theophrastus. Dioscorides describes harvesting opium
— the same method is still used today for collecting the
coagulated juice of the poppy heads. The gummy
exudate was called opium by the Greeks, this merely
being a word for juice. Although a wonderful painkiller,
opium is a dangerous narcotic. Dioscorides warned 'a
littleofit, taken as much as a grain ofervum (probably seed of
ervil, a vetch), is a pain-easer, and a sleep- causer, and a
digester ... but being drank too much it hurts, making men
lethargicall, and it kills’ 6 .
Dioscorides describes many valuable drugs including
aconite, aloes, bitter apple, colchicum, henbane, and
squill. Minor drugs, diluents, flavouring agents, and
emollients still in some modern pharmacopoeia include
ammoniacum, anise, cardamoms, catechu, cinnamon,
colocynth, coriander, crocus, dill, fennel, galbanum,
gentian, hemlock, hyoscyamus, lavender, linseed, mastic,
male fern, marjoram, marshmallow, mezereon, mustard,
myrrh, orris (iris), oak galls, olive oil, pennyroyal,
pepper, peppermint, poppy, psyllium, rhubarb,
rosemary, rue, saffron, sesame, squirting cucumber
( elaterium ), starch, stavesacre (delphinium), storax,
stramonium, sugar, terebinth, thyme, white hellebore,
white horehound, and couch grass — the last still used as
a demulcent diuretic. A decoction of pomegranate root
bark is prescribed to expel tapeworm. Other medicines
still in use include wormwood, pine bark, juniper, ginger,
almond oil, cherry syrup and calamine. Chinese and
Indian physicians continue to use liquorice, also known
to the ancient Egyptians, and mentioned in De M ateria
M edica.
Specifics for women include several to procure
abortions; as well as treatments for infections of the
urinogenital tract; and palliatives for stomach ache and
intestinal pains. Dioscorides, no doubt familiar with the
prevalence of skin and eyes diseases in the Near East,
6 ibid. 4-65, p458.
xxv
INTRODUCTION
included many remedies for these. Chronic malaria,
possibly a factor in the decline of the Roman Empire, may
justify the many medications to reduce the spleen.
Palliatives for toothache included colocynth; the resin of
Commiphora species; the bark of PI atari us soaked in
vinegar; a decoction of tamarisk leaves mixed with wine;
oak-galls; the resin of R hus ; a decoction of the leaves and
bark of mulberry; the latex of the fig; that of Euphorbia
characias mixed with oil; the roots of Rumex (the weed,
dock) in vinegar; and a decoction of the roots of
asparagus and Plantago (plantain). Sediment of olive oil
mixed with juice from unripe grapes and cooked to the
consistency of honey, was smeared on decayed teeth to
loosen them. The Egyptians prepared a kind of beer
called zythum or zythus from barley; and Dioscorides tells
us ivory soaked in this becomes easily workable. Large
slabs of ivory were carved by ancient artists — the secret
of their softening method is now lost.
A few superstitious practices are recorded in De
M ateria M edica. Amulets and mascots were valued, such
as A nchusa alia ( E chi um species) used as an amulet against
snakes; and Polemonia against the bite of scorpions. The
third joint from the ground of the stem of Verbena
(vervain) was used for tertian fevers; and the fourth joint
for quartian fevers. Black hellebore was dug up with
great care lest an eagle observe the act, as this would
cause death. Dioscorides also recounts the myth of
Lysippe and lphianassa, daughters of the King of Argos,
who recovered from madness, noting they were healed
with black hellebore.
THE WRITINGS — MANUSCRIPTS
Ancient herbal traditions claimed plants were the
flesh of the gods, who instructed men in their proper use.
The earliest fragmentary herbal records are Egyptian,
Sumerian, and Chinese — Emperor Shen Nung
composed the Pen T'sao Ching about 2700BCE; medical
prescriptions are listed on a 5000 year-old Sumerian
tablet; and the earliest surviving herbal is the Papyrus
E bers from about 1550BCE, containing material gathered
five to twenty centuries before. The earliest herbal writers
we can name are Greek — Theophrastus, with his
Enquiry into Plants of 350BCE; Hippocrates; Diokles of
Caryustus; Krateuas and his contemporary the Roman
XXVI
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Sextius Niger (first century BCE); Nicander of Colophon
(second century BCE); and Nicolaus of Damascenus with
his D e PI antis of about 30BCE. Krateuas is the first noted
instance of both author and artist.
The earliest surviving records of illustrated Greek
Herbals indicate DeM ateria M edica was widely read and
reproduced during the Middle Ages in Latin, Arabic and
Greek. For fifteen hundred years it was the standard
authority both in botany and materia medica, assuming
considerable significance in the development of western
and Islamic cultures. The great paradigm for botany is
that the history of botany before 1700 was really the
history of pharmacy. Had printing existed then, it is
possible Dioscorides' overwhelming influence would
have confined later writings on the subject to glossaries
on DeM ateria M edica. As it was, most herbalists were
heavily indebted to him, just as he had drawn from
authorities before him. DeM ateriaM edica may be partially
based on the lost work of Diokles (called Hippocrates II
by his contemporaries), which dealt with hygiene and
prophylaxis, and gave detailed instructions for sound
living 7 .
The physician Galen, an influential Greek writer in
the development of the herbal, cited Dioscorides. Galen's
De Simplicibus, prepared around the year 180CE, dealt
with medicine, pharmacy, and drugs, giving the name,
locality, and uses for each plant. The Greek Oribasios
[325-403CE] produced the popular manuscripts Synagoge
and Euporista, drawing freely from both Dioscorides and
Galen, and being translated into Latin. A concise
manuscript of western Roman origin. Herbarium Apulei
Platon id, was well-regarded in late Roman times. Its 150
illustrations include some of Greek provenance, mainly
from manuscripts based on DeM ateria M edica. In the
Dark Ages these herbal manuscripts lost some influence
to simpler herbals, the creative period of Greek science
having passed. The earliest copies of Dioscorides'
manuscript were not illustrated. The oldest survival is a
fragment, the M ichigan Papyrus.
The finest surviving comprehensive manuscript
copy, magnificently illustrated, was made in the sixth
7 Singer, ibid. p2.
xxvii
INTRODUCTION
century in Constantinople [about 512CE] and is known as
Codex Vindobonensis. The citizens of Honoratae, a suburb
of Byzantium in Turkey, presented it as a birthday gift to
their Christian patroness Patricia Juliana Anicia,
daughter of Flavius Anicius Olybrius, Emperor of the
West briefly in 472CE. This was in appreciation for Juliana
Anicia having arranged the construction and decoration
of a church dedicated to Polyeuktos, a martyr. The
manuscript is on vellum, written in Greek uncials in the
tradition of early sixth-century calligraphy. Alternate
plant names in many languages were probably added to
the manuscript from the work of Alexandrian
lexicographer Pamphilos in the first century CE. These
synonyms are provided in African, Andreae medici,
Armenian, Bessicum, Boeotian, Cappadocian, Dacian,
Dardana, Democriti, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Gaulish,
Spanish, Istrici, Lucanica, Marsum, Osthanis, Prophetae,
Pythagorean, Roman, Tuscan, and Zoroastrian. The
coloured paintings of plants date from the second
century CE. They are splendid and reveal a naturalism
alien to Byzantine art of the time; some are remarkably
life-like with accurate colour, but others vary in quality,
the level of botanical observation frequently inadequate.
Eleven items are clearly derived from the writings and
drawings of Krateuas (Cratevas), pharmacologist and
physician to Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus from
120 to 63bce. Codex Vindobonensis is a large book, roughly
thirty centimeters square, of four hundred and ninety
one parchment sheets, with nearly four hundred
full-page paintings of plants, and some smaller ones of
birds. Many plants discussed are indigenous to Greece
and the eastern Mediterranean, or cultivated as edible
crops. The first pages of Codex Vindobonensis have smaller
paintings, including one showing Dioscorides at work
while Intelligence holds up a mandrake for Krateuas to
draw. Some paintings are quite skilful, handling
awkward details such as how the leaf-bases clasp the
stem; fine-leaved plants such as fennel are well drawn;
other beautiful illustrations include cyclamen,
wormwood, delphinium, scarlet pimpernel, and
asphodel. In this Codex an alphabetic extract of the
original text is given.
Nearly nine centuries pass before we next hear of the
manuscript. In 1406 it was rebound by John
Chortasmenos for Nathanael, a monk and physician in
xxviii
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
the Prodromos Monastery in Constantinople. After the
Muslim conquest in 1453 the manuscript fell to the Turks.
A century later a Jew named Hamon, body physician to
Suleiman the Magnificent, owned it. In 1562 Augier
Ghislain de Busbecq, ambassador from the Emperor
Ferdinand of Habsburg to the Sublime Porte saw and
coveted it, and reported its existence. He wrote that he
could not buy it because he had been asked one hundred
ducats, a sum too large for his pocket. Seven years later
the manuscript found its way through the good offices of
Ferdinand's successor, Maximillian II, into the Imperial
Fibrary in Vienna (now the Bibliothek Nationale). Codex
Vindobonensis is probably the earliest, most splendid, and
most important illustrated herbal manuscript of classical
times. Before conveying it to the Imperial Fibrary, de
Busbecq lent it to Mattioli who drew heavily on it for
commentaries on De Materia M edica. Master printer
Christoffel Plan tin used illustrations from Codex
Vindobonensis for herbals published in the late sixteenth
century for Dodoens, Clusius, Fobelius, and Fyte.
There are many surviving manuscripts of D e M ateria
M edica after Codex V in dobon en si s — an important example
being the seventh-century Greek alphabetic Codex
N eapolitanus, in the possession of a Neapolitan monastery
for many years, and then presented to Emperor Charles
VI in 1717. It was taken to Vienna and subsequently to the
Bibliotheca Nazionale in Naples. The drawings in Codex
N eapolitanus are from the same source as Codex
Vindobonensis, but are smaller and grouped together on
fewer pages. A good copy of the C odex V i n dobon en si s from
the fifteenth century is in the Cambridge University
library; there is a line of descent to a fourteenth century
manuscript, Paris GR 2091; and a seventeenth century
descendant at Bologna — these four forming the primary
alphabetic group. The secondary alphabetic group
includes eleventh- and twelfth-century manuscripts at
Pierpoint Morgan, Mount Atlas and the Vatican (GR 284).
Next is the non-alphabetic Greek group, the best example
the Paris G rec 2179 in the BibliothequeN ati on ale, written in
ninth-century Egypt, its naturalistic illustrations dating
the draughtsmanship to the second or third century CE.
Eater manuscripts of the same group reside at Venice (St
M arks 273 of the eleventh century), Florence, the Vatican,
and Vienna.
XXIX
INTRODUCTION
The Ostrogoths and Lombards encouraged Latin
translations. The ninth-century D ioscorides L ombardus in
the M unchener Staatsbibliothek (with its direct descendant,
a South Italian manuscript in Beneventan script. Codex
L ongobard, M unich 337 ) has an excellent text, making it the
most important of the Latin manuscripts. It is illustrated
with approximately 900 lovely miniatures, more than
twice as many as the 387 in Codex Vindobonensis.
Herbarium Apulei ( Codex Cassinensis 97), a ninth-century
manuscript herbal from the late Roman period (about
400CE) preserved at the Abbey of Monte Cassino in Italy,
is based partly on D ioscorides L ombardus. D ioscorides
Vulgaris (Palimpsest Lat 16), a sixth-century manuscript
now in Vienna, is the second primary Latin translation.
Up to the seventeenth century we find many
commentaries and inferior later manuscripts such as L iber
D ioscuridis deherbis feminis by Sextus Placitus Papyriensis.
D ioscorides L ombardus was one of the source documents
(with 22 others) for the celebrated botanical poem M acer
floridus of 1161 by Odo of Meune. He recounts the virtues
of 77 plants in verse dedicated to Aemilius Macer, a
contemporary and friend of Ovid. D ioscorides Vulgarisled
to a number of further versions, one with Anglo-Saxon
glossaries.
Arabic/Muslim medical scholars rose to prominence
during the fifth to twelfth centuries, with Arabic the new
language of learning, and many Greek works translated
into Arabic from Syriac. In the ninth century monasteries,
such as the Benedictine at Monte Cassino and St Gallen
on Lake Constance, became centres of herbalism in
Europe. Arabic and monastic writings drew heavily on
Dioscorides and Pliny. Arabic works were also translated
into Latin, such as the twelfth-century herbal of Johannes
Serapion the younger (Ibn Sarabiyun), translated by
Simon Januensis and Abraham ben Shemtob, in about
1292. Quoting extensively from Dioscorides and Galen,
this was published as Liber Serapionis aggregatus in
medicinis simplicibus, Milan, 1473.
In the Dark and Middle Ages Nestorian Christians
banished for heretical views carried the works of
Dioscorides and others to Asia Minor. The Greek text was
translated into Syriac when pagan Greek scholars fled
east after Constantine's conquest of Byzantium.
Stephanos (son of Basilios, a Christian living in Baghdad
under the Khalif Motawakki) made an Arabic translation
XXX
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
of DeM ateria M edica from the Greek in 854CE. In 948CE
the Byzantine Emperor Romanus II, son and co-regent of
Constantine Porphyrogenitos, sent a beautifully
illustrated Greek manuscript of DeM ateria M edica to the
Spanish Khalit, Abd-Arrahman III. Spaniards were
unfamiliar with Greek, so in 951 CE a learned monk,
Nicolas, arrived in Spain so that physicians in Cordoba
might be taught Greek. Nicolas and his Arabic-speaking
pupils then prepared a new corrected edition. The Syriac
scholar Bar Hebraeus prepared an illustrated Syriac
version in 1250, which was translated into Arabic. An
Arabic translation from the eleventh century in the
BibliothequeN ationale, Paris ( Codex arab. 4947) shows how
faithfully the Arabs reproduced the Greek illustrations.
Arabic modifications rendered the figures more
symmetrical, achieving naturalistic fidelity. A Persian
translation from the thirteenth century is preserved in
the Shrine at Meshed, Iran; and an Arabic Dioscorides is
in the Bodleian Library. A richly-illustrated Arabic
Dioscorides manuscript of 1224 ( Codex 2148 ) in the Top
Kapu Saray Museum has exquisitely detailed figurative
scenes. A number of other illustrated Arabic manuscripts
of De Materia M edica are known. The teachings of
Dioscorides have been used in the practice of medicine in
the Middle East from their first writing to the present
day.
THE WRITINGS — PRINTED BOOKS
The first printed herbals appearing in the fifteenth
century relied on ancient authors for texts. The
accessibility and standardisation of these works
perpetuated the influence of these venerable authors.
Three herbal incunabulae (books printed before 1500)
have a particularly interesting derivation. The H erbarius
of 1484, the Gart der Gesundheit of 1485, and the Ortus
Sanitatus of 1491, all printed in Mainz, were compiled
from works by Matthaeus Sylvaticus, Serapio, Avicenna,
Platearius, Dioscorides, Galen, and others. Dioscorides
was mentioned sixteen times in the H erbarius, 242 times
in the G art, and 570 times in the 0 rtus. The first printed
book of Dioscorides' DeM ateria M edica is a rare and
obscure Latin translation of the Dioscoridis Vulgaris
printed at Colle, near Siena, Tuscany, by Johannem
Allemanum de Medemblik in 1478. In 1499 Aldus
XXXI
INTRODUCTION
Manutius printed the first Greek version in Venice. Latin
editions were numerous, particularly the excellent
translation by the Frenchman Jean de la Ruelle, Latin
being the new language of scholarship. In the following
century the most voluminous and useful books of botany
were supplemented commentaries on Dioscorides,
including the works of Fuchs, Anguillara, Mattioli,
Maranta, Cesalpino, Dodoens, Fabio Colonna, and the
Bauhins. In several the annotations and comments
exceed the Dioscoridean text and have much new
botany. Nonetheless it seems that a considerable part of
all new botanical matter published in the sixteenth and
part of the seventeenth centuries consisted largely of
annotations on the texts of Dioscorides.
Numerous herbals published from 1473 onwards
were directly or indirectly based on Dioscoridean
manuscripts. From 1478 there were many Latin editions.
A Greek version was published at Venice in 1499, and
reprinted in 1518, 1523 and 1529. Between 1555 and 1752
there were at least twelve Spanish editions; and as many
in Italian from 1542. French editions appeared from 1553;
and German editions from 1546. Some copies of the work
appear decadent, with a loss of faithfulness to the earlier
text; certain later editions exhibit the freshness and
accuracy of the Codex Vindobonensis, notably the
illustrated volume by Mattioli in 1544.
Pier Andrea Mattioli (1500 to 1577), a renowned
botanist and physician, translated DeM ateria M edica into
vernacular Italian as Di Pedacio D ioscoride Anazarbeo libri
cinque ... , Venice 1544. An illustrated edition in Latin
followed: Commentarii in sex libros Pedacii Dioscoridis de
medica materia, Venice 1554. In this imposing plant
encyclopaedia Mattioli identified Dioscorides' plants and
added 562 woodcut illustrations. Mattioli experimented
on prisoners to determine the lethal thresholds of various
poisonous plants, ensuring the medical popularity of his
books. Besides the Italian editions the work appeared in
Latin, Bohemian, French, and German. Mattioli wrote
other books but his commentaries on Dioscorides (said to
run to forty editions) are considered his most important
work, leading to his appointment to the Imperial Court as
physician to Archduke Ferdinand I, and later to the
Emperor Maximilian II. Mattioli, obsessed with
Dioscorides, set out to be the supreme authority on his
idol, tolerating neither rivals nor corrections. He wielded
xxxii
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
immense influence throughout Europe. Any physician or
naturalist daring to disagree with him was abused. Both
Amatus Lusitanus and Luigi Anguillara lost their posts,
the former being hounded by the Inquisition. Konrad
Gesner, Marant and Wieland were rebuked. Over the
years Mattioli's commentaries overwhelmed De M ateria
M edica — for example on acorus ( Iris pseudacorus )
Dioscorides wrote seven lines, and Mattioli 140 lines.
Forty years later a physician at Nuremberg, Johann
Camerarius II (1534 to 1598), re-edited and enlarged
Mattioli's work as De p/antis epitome ..., Frankfurt 1586,
replacing the illustrations with superior woodcuts.
In the time of Queen Elizabeth I the pharmacopoeia
rested on the unquestioned authority of the ancient
physician Dioscorides. Even in the middle of the
seventeenth century, John Goodyer (1592 to 1644)
thought it worthwhile to make the first English
translation of the whole work. This translation, written
out in Goodyer's small and careful handwriting, filled
four and a half thousand pages, taking three years to
complete. John Sibthorp (1758 to 1796) used Goodyer's
English Codex for his Flora Graeca (1806-1840) 8 ; and
Gunther's edition of Goodyer's translation was printed
in 1934 9 , and reprinted in 1959. This is the only English
edition, apart from the present version in contemporary
English by Tess Anne Osbaldeston. In the late eighteenth
century John Sibthorp came to Vienna with John
Hawkins to study the Codex Vindobonensis. He met the
talented Austrian artist Ferdinand Bauer through the von
Jacquins, and together they made a Grand Tour of the
Levant — including Crete, through the Aegean to
Smyrna (Izmur), Constantinople, inland to Belgrade, as
well as Cyprus and Greece — to find Dioscorides'
medicinal plants. Their efforts resulted in the magnificent
Flora Graeca, uncompleted for fifty two years, and then
only with the help of Sir John Edward Smith, Robert
8 Sibthorp, John and Smith, James E . Florae graecaeProdromus: sive plantarum omnium
enumeratio, quas in provinces aut insulis Graeciae invenit Johannes Sibthorp ...
Characteres et synonyma omnium cum annotationibus elaboravit Jacobus Edvardus
Smith. Also Flora graeca: sive plantarum rariorum historia, quas in provinciis aut insulis Graeciae
legit, investigavit et depingi curavit Johannes Sibthorp. Fliciliicetiam i n sertae supaucu I ae species,
quas vir idem clarissimus, Graeciam verso navigans, in itinerepraesertim apud Italiam et Siciliam,
it venerit. [10 volumes], London, 1806-1840.
9 TheG reek herbal ofD ioscorides, illustrated by a Byzantine A D 512. Englished by John Goodyer
AD1655. John Goodyer, RT Gunther editors, Oxford, 1934.
INTRODUCTION
Brown, John Lindley and the Sowerbys. Thus eighteen
hundred years after compiling De M ateria M edica,
Dioscorides' medical work led to the publication of one of
England's most sumptuous works on botany, 'perhaps one
of the most magnificent floras ever produced’, according to
Martyn Rix in The Art of the Plant World 10 . A fairly
comprehensive list of printed versions of De M ateria
M edica is given elsewhere in this volume, together with
works based on, or derived from it.
THE ASSESSMENTS
Julius von Sachs virtually ignored Dioscorides'
contribution to botany in his authoritative History of
Botany 1530-1860. In the wide-ranging Guide to the
Literature of Botany Benjamin Daydon Jackson accuses
Dioscorides of causing endless discussion and confusion
among his followers, contending his meagre plant
descriptions cannot be dignified by that term — ‘his
various treatises formed the staple of the discourses and
wranglings of the early botanists oftheR enaissancef 11 until the
appearance of Sibthorp's Flora of Greece. This 'contention
was probably caused by the extreme meagreness of the original
descriptions ... so that the fancy of each succeeding writer had
abundant scope in endeavouring to fit, and to persuade others
that he had fitted, plants of Northern Europe to accounts
written in the M editerranean region’ 12 . Jackson does not
mention Dioscorides' profound historical influence.
For fifteen hundred years De M ateria M edica was
widely read and reproduced as copies, translations,
excerpts, and paraphrases in Arabic, Greek and Latin.
Claus Nissen in Herbals of five centuries, L'Art Ancien,
Zurich 1958 is more generous: 'It owes its universal
acceptance to the exemplary accuracy and scientific
scrupulousness with which all available data concerning the
appearance and occurrence of drugs, their preparation,
preservation, indication, and dosage have been collected and
discussed, as well as to its comprehensiveness which takes
account of all remedies, from the three kingdoms of nature, that
10 Rix, Martyn. The art of the plant world, The Overlook Press, Woodstock, New York 1981.
p97.
11 jackson, Benjamin Daydon. Guide to the literature of botany, Hafner Publishing Company,
New York, 1964 facsimile of 1881 edition.pxxvii.
12 ibid, pxxviii.
xxxiv
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
were then known thoughout the M editerranean region' 13 .
Furthermore he says, 'There is no doubt that, besides
chemistry, pharmacognosy and, especially, pharmacobotanics
constitute a glorious chapter in the history of Islamic learning,
for the ancient legacy in this field was not only preserved but
independently augmented and developed. It was particularly
D ioskorides’ M ateria M edica which enjoyed such high esteem
that it was likened to the Koran in a manner almost
blasphemous to M u slim eyes' 14 . It was the final authority on
pharmacy in Turkey and Spain until the nineteenth
century.
In the first half of the twelfth century Matthaeus
Platearius of the medical school at Salerno wrote Circa
Instans, an alphabetic listing and textbook of simples
based on D ioscorides Vulgaris, containing the appearance,
manufacture, and applications of drugs. It achieved wide
recognition, being among the first herbals printed in
1488. Ernst Meyer 15 placed it on a par with Pliny and
Dioscorides, while George Sarton 16 saw it as a great
improvement over De M ateria M edica and other herbal
writings.
De Materia M edica impeded botanical thought,
although not for its contents — doctrinaire usage stifled
continuing investigation. Dioscorides cannot be
considered an original thinker, nor did he engage in
primary research. His work is a compendium of known
medicinal plants of the Roman Empire, with some new
introductions, and certain misidentifications. Many of his
plant names are still in use, although not necessarily for
the same plants, as we show in this new volume. His
descriptions were sometimes brief, often accurate,
including distribution and other information. We may
regard him as a founder of botanical science. Thomas
Johnson, an outstanding figure among British
herbalist/botanists of the sixteenth century, friend and
close collaborator of John Goodyer, considered De
M ateria M edica the foundation and basis of all that
followed in the field. The Rinascimento, or Rennaissance,
13 Nissen, Claus. H erbals offivecenturies, L Art Ancien, Zurich, Robert Wolfe, Munich and
Weiss-Hesse, Olten, 1958. plO.
14 ibid. pl8-19.
15 Anderson, Frank J .An illustrated history of the herbals, Columbia University Press, New
York 1912. Reprint 1977, paperback 1997. p49.
16 ibid.
xxxv
INTRODUCTION
revived interest in knowledge and learning, first in Italy
in the mid-fifteenth century, spreading northwards some
five decades later. Many botanists and herbalists of the
sixteenth century based their texts on those of the ancient
Greeks, often referring to Pedanios Dioscorides.
His medicinal plants formed the basis of modern
botany, establishing the link between botany and
medicine, and giving rise to the herbal as we know it; to
physic gardens; to the careers of men such as Linnaeus;
and latterly, to ethnobotany. It was the medieval
physician's duty to fear God and know his Dioscorides,
and modern pharmacology stems from his attempts to
systematize medicinal knowledge. We even owe the
term 'botany' to Dioscorides, who used the Greek term
botane, meaning herb. The most influential English
herbal, Gerard's TheHerball or general I historie of pi antes,
frequently mentions Dioscorides, and the introduction
To the ... Readers' states ‘From whence there spring floures
not onely to adorne the garlands of the M uses, ... butalsosuch
fruit as learned Dioscorides long travelled for' 17 . The
illustrated title page of the H er ball's second edition in 1633
shows Dioscorides and Theophrastus as the pillars of
healing knowledge. This iconic tradition continues on
the title pages of Charles de L'Ecluse's Rariorum
Plantarum Historia of 1601, and his Curae posteriores of
1611; Rembert Dodoens' Stirpium H istoriae Pemptades Sex
of 1616; Jean Bauhin and Jean Henri Cherlier's Historia
Plantarum Universalis of 1650-1651; and Giorgio Dalla
Torre's D ryandum, A madryandum CloridisqueTriumphus of
1685; as well as the document dated 1 July 1737 in which
the Royal College of Surgeons commended Elizabeth
Blackwell's A curious herbal.
Two and a half centuries before Sibthorp, Dr Johann
von Cube, a German physician, travelled to the East to
find the plants of Dioscorides and other masters. In 1485
he published H ortus Sanitatus, one of the earliest printed
herbals. Valerius Cordus (1515 to 1544) travelled through
Italy and Germany seeking plants in their natural habitat
that the Classical authors, particularly Dioscorides, had
described. Cordus lectured on plants at the University of
Wittenberg; Adnotationes ad Dioscorides was published
17 Gerarde, John. TheH erball or G enerall historie ofplantes, London, 1597. p4.
xxxvi
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
from student notes some years after his early death.
Cordus' careful observations provided accurate plant
descriptions. The scientist Luigi Anguillara (1512 to 1570)
travelled through Italy, Greece, the Balkans, and Central
Europe on a similar quest. A professor at the University of
Padua, he became director of its botanic garden, the first
in the world. Similarly, Leonhardt Rauwolf, who died in
1596, travelled from Augsburg to the Levant 'chiefly to
gain a clear and distinct knowledge of those delicate herbs
described by Theophrastus, Dioscorides, Avicenna et al, by
viewing them in their proper and native pi aces and to encourage
the apothecaries to procure the right sorts for their shops' 18 .
Before Gerard's time, William Turner, an influential
English theologian and physician, published his herbals
in 1538 and 1548, and wrote of his famous botany teacher
Luca Ghini of Bologna, 'Lucas Gynus the reader of
Dioscorides in bonomy, my maister' 19 . Ghini lectured on
Dioscorides for twenty-eight years. Joseph Pitton de
Tournefort (1656 to 1708), a Frenchman, and one of the
earliest systematic (classification) botanists, identified
many of Dioscorides' plants during travels in Asia Minor.
Frans A Stafleu 20 commented that Carl Linnaeus, 'the
Prince of botanists' 21 , was the object of an hero-worship
previously unknown in botany, with the possible
exception of Dioscorides. In Linnaeus' concise history of
botany. Bibliotheca botanica 22 , he names Theophrastus,
Pliny and Dioscorides among outstanding phytologists
of all ages, with no others until the fifteenth century. The
famous Dutch botanist Johannes Burman (1707 to 1779)
was internationally so highly regarded he received the
cognomen D ioscorides III from the L eopoldina, the German
academy of sciences. In 1703 Charles Plumier dedicated
the edible yam genus with its six hundred species to
Dioscorides, naming it dioscorea. A fitting tribute, since a
number of dioscorea species yield diosgenin, a precursor
of progesterone, valuable for modern drugs such as oral
contraceptives and cortisone.
Sir Arthur Hill, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens
at Kew, described a visit to Mount Athos in 1934: 'The
18 Coats, Alice M. TheQuest for Plants, London, 1969. pl3.
19 Britten, J., Jackson, BD., Stearn, WT. 1/1 / illiam T urner, The Ray Society, 1965. p7.
20 Stafleu, Frans A. Linnaeus and theLInnaeans, Utrecht 1971. p3.
21 van Royen, Adriaan. Florae L eydensis Prodromus, 1740. Preface pl6.
22 Stafleu, Frans A. ibid. p35.
xxxvii
INTRODUCTION
official botanist monk ... was a remarkable old man with an
extensive knowledge of plants and their properties ... he
travelled very quickly, usually on foot, and sometimes on a
mule, carrying his flora with him in a large black bulky bag ...
his flora was nothing less than four manuscript volumes of
Dioscorides, which apparently he himself had copied out. This
flora he invariably used for determining any plant which he
could not name at sight, and he could find his way in his books
— and identify his plants to his own satisfaction — with
remarkable rapidity' 23 . This indicates the powerful
influence of De Materia M edica up to the twentieth
century.
The great American botanical historian Edward Lee
Greene in Landmarks of Botanical History offers a fitting
tribute to Dioscorides: 7 fto havewritten the most practically
serviceable book of botany that the world of learning knew of
during sixteen centuries were the best title to botanical
greatness, to Dioscorides would readily becon ceded theabsolute
supremacy over all other botanists, not only of antiquity but of
all f/me' 24 .
In Historia rei herbariae, 1807-1808, volume 1, Kurt
Polycarp Joachim Sprengel wrote: ' During more than
sixteen centuries, he was looked up to as the sole authority, so
that everything botanical began with him. Everyone who
undertook the study of botany or the identification of medicines
swore by his words. Even as late as the beginning of the
seventeenth century both the academic and the private study of
botany may almost be said to have begun and ended with the
text ofD ioscorides' 25 .
History remains the arbiter of the duration and value
of Dioscorides’ work.
23 Hill, Arthur William. Preface by Sir Arthur Hill to: Turrill, WB, 'Contribution to the botany
of Athos Peninsula', in Bulletin ofM isce/laneous Information, Kew, ppl97-8, 1937.
24 Greene, Edward Lee, edited by Frank N Egerton. L andmarks of botanical history, 2 volumes,
Stanford University Press, Stanford 1983. pp218-219.
25 Sprengel, Kurt Polycarp Joachim. H istoria rei herbariae, 2 vols, Sumtibus Tabernae Librariae
et Artium, Amsteldami 1807-1808. ppl49-151.
INTRODUCTION
XXXIX
INTRODUCTION
xl
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Our sincere appreciation is accorded firstly to the
scholars who shared a fascination with Dioscorides
through the centuries. We were able to access many of
these works but many others, beyond our reach, are
mentioned in the Bibliography for their interest to other
'seekers'. Of special value to our explorations, we make
note of the following:
AK Bedevian, Illustrated polyglottic dictionary of plant
names.
DJ Mabberley, The plant book.
Thomas Sprague, journal articles on the herbals of
Brunfels and Fuchs, and on Ruellius' translation of
Dioscorides.
Wilfred Blunt and Sandra Raphael, T he A rt of Botanical
Illustration.
Wilfred Blunt, The Illustrated H erbal.
Henri Baillon, H istoire des pi antes.
Loudon, John Claudius. Encyclopaedia of plants.
Georg Pritzel, Thesaurus literaturae botanicae.
Klaus Nissen, Die botanische buchi /lustration, and
H erbal s of five centuries.
Charles Singer, The herbal in antiquity.
L actuca virosa [seed head]
after FAGUET — 1880
We would also like to express our appreciation to the
staff at the Herbarium Library of the Department of
Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of
the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa,
especially to Renee Reddy and Donald McCallum, as
well as to the staff at the Johannesburg Public Library,
especially Lolly Brower.
And thank you to Ian Murdoch, Copyright Attorney.
T ess Anne 0 sbaldeston and R obert P 1/1/ ood
Johannesburg, 2000.
xli
THE BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS
A cacia catechu
after THIEBAULT — 1872
THE BOTANICAL
ILLUSTRATIONS
T his version of Dioscorides is richly illustrated with
pictures of plants and natural history objects,
primarily woodcuts from the 16th and 19th centuries,
and copper engravings or lithographs from the 19th
century. We know very little of the artists who made the
illustrations reproduced here. For example, in Engler's
voluminous writings most paintings by Joseph Pohl are
unsigned, thus preventing accurate attribution. Some
information about the artists represented herein, with
the context in which they worked, is given below.
MATERIALS & METHODS
Multiple images for early printed books were
woodcuts, a relief process, usually a black line drawing of
the original picture on a wood block, the unwanted
background between the drawn lines was cut away with
a sharp knife to prevent contact with the ink roller. The
design is in relief, the printer's ink is deposited on the
raised surface, and transferred by pressure onto paper.
The image is drawn in reverse as with most forms of
printing. In wood engraving, a refinement of the
woodcut, the engraver uses a burin, a fine steel cutting
tool, obtaining a multitude of fine lines to give subtle
gradations simulating grey tones. The crafter usually cuts
on the end grain of hard woods to permit a
predominance of white lines. Lithography is a
planographic or surface process utilising drawing upon
stone. The drawing is made with greasy ink or chalk on a
particular kind of limestone, porous to both grease and
water. Once the drawing is 'fixed', the stone is damped
with water and an ink roller passed over it. This 'inks' the
stone wherever the drawing has been made and leaves
no mark on the rest of the stone. Paper is now passed
over the stone through a scraper press. Lithography
permits subtle gradations of tone, speedily and
economically. Other printing techniques traditionally
used for botanical illustrations include intaglio printing
xlii
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
— such as copper engraving, mezzotint, stipple
engraving, aquatint, and soft ground etching — full or
partial colour printing, chromolithography, and a variety
of technique modifications. Modern printing methods
using photographic, electronic, and digital processes
offer further possibilities.
THE ILLUSTRATORS
Botanical illustrators originally documented plants
for medicinal purposes. These early scientific drawings of
plants assisted the searcher after simples ie. species of
herbs. Illustrations in the magnificent sixth-century
manuscript herbal Codex Vindobonensis 26 exhibit a
standard of excellence unusual in its day, and not
exceeded for nearly a millenium. During this 'dreary'
millenium most manuscripts were not illustrated, or
included pen drawings copied repeatedly by scribes with
no artistic skills. Early printed herbals copied these
indifferent plant outlines.
Realistic plant drawings appeared towards the end of
the fourteenth century, Albrecht Durer and Leonardo da
Vinci being the best-known artists. H erbarius zu Teutsch
(the German Herbarius) 1485 was the first printed herbal
with plant drawings showing greater freedom and
realism. Next in significance is Otto Brunfels' Herbarum
vivae ei cones (living portraits of plants), 3 volumes
1530-1536, with illustrations by Hans Weiditz (1488 to
1534) a pupil of Albrecht Durer — the drawings
transferred to woodcuts by excellent engravers. Brunfels
paid tribute to the artist at the beginning of the first
volume, but dismissed the illustrations as dead lines
inferior to his own truthful text descriptions. Weiditz
drew actual plants with scientific correctness, including
blemishes and deformities in great detail. The figures
seem drawn in pen, with fine, deep strokes. According to
Wilfred Blunt 'His work must ever remain the high-water
mark of woodcutting employed in the service of botanical
illustration' 27 . Lrom 1522 Strassburg publishers Schott,
Knoblauch, Kopfel and Beck used professional
26 In the Imperial Library in Vienna (now the Bibliothek N ationale).
27 Blunt, Wilfrid with the assistance of William T Stearn. The art of botanical illustration, number
14, TheNew Naturalist, A survey of British natural history, Collins, London. 1971 reprint of
1950 edition. p47.
xliii
THE BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS
illustrators, including Weiditz, mainly for botanical and
zoological works. Weiditz' skills were in great demand,
illustrating numerous books including Albertus M agnus,
W underbar naturliche wirckungen 1531, and Konrad von
Megenberg's Puch der Natur 1536. These plates were
pirated by Frankfurt publisher Christian Egenolph for
herbals edited by Eucharius d J Rossllin (and later
Theodoric Dorsten), and published as Kreutterbuch 1533
with later editions, titles and translations. From 1562
copies of these woodcuts appeared in the journal
published by Egenolph, Plantarum arborum fruticum et
herbarum effigies. Some four hundred years after they
were drawn, about seventy original pen drawings by
Weiditz, painted in watercolours, were discovered in the
herbarium of Felix Platter in Berne. It was noted that the
woodcuts' variable lines reflected the nervous energy of
Weiditz' s artistry, and that the engraver of the
woodblocks had taken some liberties in copying, mainly
to fit larger drawings on to the printed page, and deleting
details of flowers and seeds.
Soon thereafter Leonhart Fuchs (1501 to 1566)
published De historia stirpium 1542, a splendid folio
volume, the illustrations of far greater value than the text.
Unusually, credit is given to the artists — Albrecht Meyer
who drew the plants according to Fuchs' rigorous
instructions, Heinrich Fullmaurer who transferred the
drawings to wood blocks, and Veit Rudolf Speckle who
cut the wood blocks. The plates dazzle with crisp, white
paper, fine printing and layout, and elegant designs.
With hundreds of full-page illustrations of plants, it is the
earliest monumental flower-book. In the preface Fuchs
writes about the illustrations: ‘A s far as concerns the pictures
themselves , each of which is positively delineated according to
the features and likeness of the living plants , we have taken
peculiar carethat they should bemost perfect, and, moreover, we
have devoted the greatest diligence to secure that every plant
should be depicted with its own roots, stalks, leaves, flowers,
seeds and fruits. ... and wehavenot allowed thecraftsmen so to
indulge their whims as to cause the drawings not to correspond
accurately to the truth' 2 *. Speckle, 'by far the best engraver of
28 Fuchs, Leohard. DeH istoria Stirpium 1542, preface, quoted by Gill Saunders in 'Picturing
Plants, an analytical history of botanical illustration', Zwemmer in association with the
Victoria and Albert Museum, 1995, London.
xliv
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Strasbourg' 29 , had a line often rigid and wiry, suitable for
subsequent watercolour wash. Fuchs' artists idealized
the plants, showing flowering and fruiting stages
simultaneously, with life-sized plants including roots
when possible, but with less detail, achieving unmatched
clarity of line reproduction. The plates were copied or
adapted by many later herbal writers including John
Gerard, Tabernaemontanus, Dodoens, Bock, Turner,
Lyte and Schinz, to the chagrin of Fuchs who saw his fine
work used without acknowledgement, and mostly as
inferior copies. Many scholars consider these the finest
botanical woodcuts, though some prefer the sharp
figures of Weiditz. Meyer's flowers are delicate, Weiditz'
are bold; Meyer had a clinical perception, Weiditz
approached individual plants with appreciation; Meyer
was limited by Fuchs' insistence on precision without
artistic expression and feeling. Perhaps that is why his
illustrations were used for more than 200 years.
Although not new, copperplate etching was only
employed for botanical illustration towards the end of
the sixteenth century. Eventually this and other
techniques replaced the use of woodblocks. However,
wood-engraving flourished again for a while in the
nineteenth century. Thomas Bewick (1753 to 1828) led
this revival, using skills learnt as a copper engraver. He
substituted hard boxwood for soft wood, engraving on
the end grain of the wood. Perfecting this technique
enabled the use of wood engraving for detailed
illustrations, often made from photographs. Examples
are found in Baillon's Histoire des pi antes 1866-1895, and
Anton Kerner von Marilaun's Pflanzenleben 1887-1891.
Pflanzenleben contained some of the last of the fine
woodcuts in botanical illustration. Continental engravers
were as skilful as the British. The technical brilliance of
these later wood engravings restored the technique to
the status of an art, thus it avoided competing with
photographic tone reproduction.
The Frenchman, Auguste Faguet (1841 to 1886), a
prolific illustrator of the late nineteenth century,
produced delicate botanical wood engravings of great
accuracy. These drawings indicate true perspective, the
29 ibid. Blunt, p51
xlv
THE BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS
careful craftsmanship making distant elements recede.
He illustrated the extensive set of Henri Ernest Baillon's
H istoire des plan tes 1866-1895, including its many editions.
Faguet’s other work for Baillon included R echerches . . . des
coni feres 1860; Dictionnaire de botanique 1876-1892; 1186
woodcuts in Traite de botanique medicate phanerogamique
1883-1884; 370 woodcuts in Traite de botanique medicale
cryptogamique 1889; Logan iacees 1856; and Bignoniacees
1864. Henri Faguet's talent also benefited Edouard
Bureau's M onographie des bignoniacee 1864; Alfred
Grandidier's monumental H istoire physique, naturelle et
politique de Madagascar 1875; and H istoire naturelle des
pi antes 1886-1903. Among other artists Faguet also
worked on a periodical, L 'H orticulteur F r an cais, journal des
amateurs et des interets horti coles 1851-1872. These fine
woodcuts were superseded by renewed general use of
metal printing plates for botanical illustrations.
Thiebault assisted Faguet in illustrating Henri
Baillon's H istoire des plantes 1866-1895. He also
contributed engraved text figures to Dujardin-Beaumetz
& Egasse' s L es plan tes medi ci naiesindi gen es ex exoti qu e 1889,
and his drawings appeared in The Floral Register, a
periodical published from 1825 to 1851.
In Pflanzenleben 1887-1891 Anton Joseph Ritter Kerner
von Marilaun (1831 to 1898) used a number of Austrian
and German artists, their work interpreted as
wood-engravings. This important two-volume work
spawned several editions, including translations into
English, Russian, Italian and Dutch. We know little of
these artists, among whom are Adele von Kerner, Ernst
Heyn (1841 to 1894), F Tegetmeyer, Hermann von
Konigsbrunn (1823 to 1907), Eugen von Ransonnet (1838
to ? ), Ignaz Seelos (1827 to 1902), Joseph Selleny (1824 to
1875), K Springer, S Teuchmann, and Olof Winkler (1843
to 1895). Olof Winkler and Ernst Heyn assisted with the
preparation of lithographs from illustrations (and
chromolithographs from paintings) by Joseph Selleny
and others. Anton Kerner von Marilaun illustrated his
own M onographia Pulmoniarum 1878. Ernst Heyn
illustrated Emil Adolf Rossmassler's Der Wald 1863,
producing 117 copper engravings. Hermann von
Konigsbrunn illustrated Franz Xaver Unger's
Wissenschaftlicheergebnisseeiner reisein Griechenland 1862.
Ignaz Seelos made the lithographs and Joseph Selleny
the frontispiece for Johann Joseph Peyritsch's Aroideae
xlvi
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
M aximilianae 1879. German professor Heinrich Moritz
Willkomm (1821 to 1895), specialised in the botany of
south-western Europe. He often illustrated his own
works, and his coloured drawings are mainly of unusual
plants from Spain, Portugal, and the Balearic Islands. His
many publications include Recherches sur ... Globulariees
1850; leones et descriptiones pi an tar um novarum 1852-1862;
as well as lllustrationes florae Hispaniae 1881-1892 with
coloured lithograph plates. AH Payne and A Eckstein
occasionally provided him with illustrations.
The well-travelled Otto Warburg (1859 to 1938),
botanist and political activist, produced the richly
illustrated D ie pflanzenwelt 1913-1922, with figures by H
Buffe, H Eichhorn, M Gurke, U Grimme amongst others,
including some coloured plates. Warburg's extensive
work emerged from his travels in south-eastern Asia,
Oceania, Australia and southern Africa.
Heinrich Gustaf Adolf Engler (1844 to 1930) was the
most prolific German botanical taxonomist. He published
ambitiously and enthusiastically, using a number of
artists to illustrate his works, including Joseph Pohl, an
artist with apprenticeship as a wood-engraver. Engler
noticed Pohl's talent very early, starting a collaboration of
almost forty years. Amongst his prodigious output Josef
Pohl (1864 to 1939) drew over 33,000 items in 6,000 figures
for Engler s D ie naturlichen pflanzenfamilien 1887-1914. His
plants are finely and accurately executed, but without
flair. This work is of particular value because many new
plants were described for the first time. The drawings are
plain but complement the lengthy Latin descriptions in
this monumental production. The illustrations take on
particular significance because many of the actual plants,
delineated so carefully, were destroyed in the bombing of
the Berlin Herbarium. Pohl illustrated other major works
by Engler, including Das pflanzenreich 1900-1953; Die
pflanzenwelt A frikas 1908-1910; M onographien afrikanischer
pflanzenfamilien 1898-1904; and most of the illustrations
for the periodical E ngler's Botanische jahrbucher 1881 et seq.
Assisted by Gottfried Keller (1873 to 1945) and Karoly
Rezso Soo von Bere (1903 to 1980), Pohl illustrated
Friedrich Richard Rudolf Schlechter's M onographie und
iconographie der orchideen 1928-1942; and Karl Moritz
Schumann's Bluhende kakteen ( Iconographia cactacearum )
xlvii
THE BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS
1900-1921; and was one of many artists contributing (i.e.
the orchid illustrations) to Carl Friedrich Philipp von
Martius' magnificent Flore Brasiliensis 1840-1906.
Vogelmeyer and Henri Bocquillon also contributed some
drawings to Engler's publications.
Jean Emmanuel Maurice le Maout illustrated his A tlas
dementaire de botanique 1846; as well as Lecons elementaire
de botanique 1844, including later editions. With Joseph
Decaisne he wrote Flore elemental redes jardins et des champs
1855, translated by Mrs Hooker as General system of botany
1876. With P Bernard and L Couilhac, Maout's first book
was published as Lejardin des pi antes 1842-1843.
Botanical art highlights two opposing needs —
revealing the true physical character of a plant; and the
illustrator's response to the beauty of the subject. Each
artist balances the conflict of art versus science. Most
botanical publications require large numbers of
illustrations, demanding speed as well as accuracy, and a
working knowledge of current printing technology. The
illustrations selected for this volume appeal both
scientifically and descriptively, while incorporating a
decidedly decorative quality. They also had to survive
the transition to digital format.
Statice thouini
after FAGUET — 1892
xlviii
PRINTED BOOKS
A chronological list of printed books copying, based upon, annotating,
discussing, amplifying, or extending the manuscripts of
the DeM ateria M edica of Pedanios Dioscorides
Contributors,
Authors,
Date of
publication
and language/s
Title
Editors,
Illustrators,
Publishers
[Place of
Publication]
Pritzel
and
other
Refer
-ences
1473
(1475)
Latin
L iber Serapioris aggregatus in medicinis simplicibus.
Serapion
[Mediolani]
1.8616
1478
Latin
(Folium la:) Notadum q; libri diascorides died duplex rperit
ordinatio cum eodum tamen ephemio omnio. Explic
dyascorides que petrus paduanesis legendo corexit et
exponendo q vtiliora sut 1 luce; deduxit.
Petrus
Paduenesis
[Colle, near
Siena]
1.2299
1479
Latin
L iber Serapionis aggregatus in medicinis simplicibus.
Joannes
Serapion
2nd ed
[Venetijs]
4.1
1499
Greek
nEAAKiOY aioekopiaoy. Textus D ioscoridis, textuset
scholia N icandri.
Aldus Manutius
[Venetiis]
1.2291
1514
Latin
Dyoscoridis exactissimi indagatoris fidelissimiq: scriptoris
virtutu simpliciu medicinaru Liber. Cccccccxvij continens
capitula: cum nonullis additionibus Petri paduanesis in
margine libri notatis.
Petrus
Paduanensis
[Lugduni]
1.2300
1516
Latin
JoannisBaptitaeEgnatii Veneti in Dioscoridem abHermolao
Barbaro tralatum annotamenta, quibus morborum et
remediorum vocabula obscuriora in usum etiam mediocriter
eruditorum explicantur.
Hermolao
Barbaro,
J Egnatii
[Venetiis]
1.2301, 2,
4.28
1516
Latin
Pedacii Dioscorides A nazarbei demedicinali materia libri
quinq; de viruletis animalibus et venenis cane rabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis libri quatuorJoanneRuellio
Suessionensi interprete.
Joanne Ruellio
[Parrhisiorm]
1.2302
1516
Latin
Corollarii in Dioscoridem libri quinquenon anteimpressi.
Impr. cumJohannisBaptistaeEgnatii in Dioscoridem
annotamentis.
Ermolao
Baptista,
J B Egnatii
[Venetiis]
1.0407, 3
1518
Latin
Pedacii DioscoridaeAnazarbei demedica materia libri sex,
interprete M arcello Vergilio, secretarioFlorentino, cum
ejutdem annotation! bus, nuperquediligentissimeexcusi.
Marcello
Vergilio
[Florentiae]
1.2303, 3
1518
Greek
aioskopiahz. A foil. 223 ordo numerorum turbatus est,
ideoque folium ultimum 235 falso numeratum est.
Saracenus,
Asulanus, Roscio
[Venetiis]
1.2292, 3
1523
Greek
aioekopiahz. A foil. 223 ordo numerorum turbatus est,
ideoque folium ultimum 235 falso numeratum est.
Saracenus,
Asulanus, Roscio
[Venetiis]
1.2292
1523/8
Latin
& Greek
Pedacii Dioscorides Anazarbei demedica materia libri sex a
M arcello Virgilio (Vergilio), secretario Florentino, latinitate
donati, cum ejusdem commentationibus, nuper quam
diligentissime ex secunda interpretis recognitione excusi.
Marcello Virgilio 1.2305, 3
[Florentiae]
il
PRINTED BOOKS
1526 Latin
1527 Latin
1529 Latin
1529 Latin
1529 Greek
1529 Greek
1530 Latin
1530-6 Latin
1531 Latin
1532 Latin
1532 German
1532 German
1533 Latin
1534 Latin
1536 Latin
1537 Latin
1537 German
Editiones Ruellianaein minori forma. Pedacii Dioscorides
Anazarbei demedicinali materia iibri quinq ; deviruletis
ani mali bus et venenis canerabioso, et eorum notis ac remediis
Iibri quatuor, JoanneRuellio Suessionensi interprete.
Pedacii Dioscorides Anazarbei demedicinali materia iibri
quinq ; de viruletis ani mali bus et venenis canerabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis Iibri quatuor, Joanne Ruellio
Suessionensi interprete.
P. D ioscoridae Pharmacorum simplicium ra'quemedicae Iibri
VIII. Jo. Ruellio interprete.
Pedacii Dioscorides Anazarbei demedicinali materia Iibri
quinq ; de viruletis animalibus et venenis canerabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis iibri quatuor, Joanne Ruellio
Suessionensi interprete.
aiolkopi ahz. Paucis emendatis ex editione anni 1518
repetita est. Nullum vestigium est, editorem Janum
Cornarium codicibus usum fuisse.
Pedacii DioscoridaeAnazarbei demedica materia iibri V de
letalibus venenis, eorumqueprecautioneet curatione liber
unus, interpreteM arcello Vergilio, SecretarioFlorentino.
Corollarii in Dioscoridem Iibri quinquenon anteimpressi.
Impr. cum Johannis BaptistaeEgnatii in Dioscoridem
annotamentis.
Herbarum vivaeei cones ad naturaeimitationem summa cum
diligentia et arteficio effigiatae, una cum effectibus earundem
in gratiam veteris illius et jamjam renascentis herbariae
medicinae, per Oth. Brunf.
Insignium medicorum Joan. SerapionisArabis desimplicibus
medicinis opus praeclarum et in gens. A verroisArabis de
eiodem liber eximius. R asis filii 2 achariae de eisdem
opusculum perutile.
Editiones Ruellianaein minori forma. Pedacii Dioscorides
Anazarbei demedicinali materia Iibri quinq; deviruletis
animalibus et venenis canerabioso, et eorum notis ac remediis
Iibri quatuor, JoanneRuellio Suessionensi interpr&e.
Contrafyt kreuterbuch nach rechter volkommener art. und
beschreibungen der alten bestberumpten artzt, vormalsin
T eutscher sprach, der massen nye gesehen noch in truck
ausgangen. Sampt einer gemeynen inleytung der kreuter
urhab. Erkantnuss, brauch, lob und herrlichhgeit.
Herbarum vivaeeicones ad naturaeimitationem summa cum
diligentia et arteficio effigiatae, una cum effectibus earundem
in gratiam veteris il/ius et jamjam renascentis herbariae
medicinae, per Oth. Brunf.
Annotatiunculae aliquot Cornelii Petri Leydensis in quatuor
libros D ioscoridis A nazarbei.
Stirpium differentiae ex Dioscoride secundum locos
communes, opus ad ipsarum plantarum cognitionem
admodum conducibile.
Index D ioscoridis. Ejusdem historiales campi cum expositione
Joannis Roderici CasteUi albi Lusitani (Amati Lusitani).
Editiones Ruellianaein minori forma. Pedacii Dioscorides
Anazarbei demedicinali materia Iibri quinq; deviruletis
animalibus et venenis canerabioso, et eorum notis ac remediis
Iibri quatuor, JoanneRuellio Suessionensi interprete.
Contrafyt kreuterbuch nach rechter volkommener art. und
beschreibungen der alten bestberumpten artzt, vormalsin
T eutscher sprach, der massen nye gesehen noch in truck
ausgangen. Sampt einer gemeynen inleytung der kreuter
urhab. Erkantnuss, brauch, lob und herrlichhgeit.
Joanne Ruellio
[Bononiae]
1.2306, 3
Joanne Ruellio
2nd ed
[Venetiis]
3
Joanne Ruellio
[Argentorata]
1.2304, 3
Joanne Ruellio
2nd ed
[Argentorati]
1.2302
Janum
Cornarium
[Basileae]
1.2293, 3
Marcello
Vergilio
[Coloniae]
1.2294, 3
Ermolao
Barbaro,
J B Egnatii
[Coloniae]
1.0407, 2
Otto Brunfels,
1.1283, 2,
Schottum, Largi
3, 4.42,
[Argentorati]
5.30
Serapion
[Argentorati]
1.8616
Joanne Ruellio
2nd ed
[Basiliae]
1.2306
Otto Brunfels
1.1283, 3,
[Strassburg]
4.43
Otto Brunfels
1.1283, 3,
[Strassburg]
4.43
Cornelis Petri
[Antwerpiae]
1.7091
Benedict Textor
[Parisiis]
1.9174
Lusitanus (JR de
Castelbranco)
[Antwerpiae]
1.123, 2
Joanne Ruellio
3rd ed
[Parisiis]
1.2306, 3
Otto Brunfels
2nd ed
[Strassburg]
1.1283
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1537
1538
1539
1539
1541
1541
1541
1542
1542
1542
1542
1542
1543
1543
1543
1543
Latin
Latin
Latin
German
Latin
Latin
Latin
Latin
Italian
Latin
Latin
Latin,
Greek,
German,
French
Latin,
Greek,
German,
French
Flemish
Latin
Latin
Stirpium differentiae ex Dioscoride secundum locos
communes, opus ad ipsarum plantarum cognitionem
admodum conducibile.
Pedacii DioscoridesAnazarbei demedicinali materia libri
quinq; de viruletis animalibus et venenis cane rabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis libri quatuor,JoanneRueHio
Suessionensi interprete.
M edicinaeherbariaelibri duo, quorum primus habet herbas
hujus saeculi medicis communes cum veteribus, D ioscoride
videlicet, Galeno, Oribasio, Paulo, Aetio, Plinio et horum
similibus.
N ew Kreutterbuch von underscheydt, wurckung und namen
der kreutter, so in teutschen landen wachsen. A uch
derselbigen eygentlichem und wolgegrundetem Gebrauch in
der A rznei zu behalten und zu furdern leibs gesuntheyt fast
nutzund trostlichem, vorab gemeynem verstand.
H istoria plantarum et vires ex D ioscoride, Paulo Aegneta,
Theophrasto, Plinio et recentioribusGraecis juxta
elementorum ordinem.
H istoria plantarum et vires ex D ioscoride, Paulo Aegneta,
Theophrasto, Plinio et recentioribusGraecis juxta
elementorum ordinem.
H istoria plantarum et vires ex D ioscoride, Paulo Aegneta,
Theophrasto, Plinio et recentioribusGraecis juxta
elementorum ordinem.
Pedacii DioscoridesAnazarbei demedicinali materia libri
quinq ; de viruletis animalibus et venenis cane rabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis libri quatuor,JoanneRueHio
Suessionensi interprete.
Dioscorides, Pedanios, Anazarbeus. D ioscoride fatto di greco
italiano.AI cui finesonoappostelesuetavoleordinate, con
certeavertenze, etrattati necessarj, per fa materia medesima.
Per CurtioTrojanodi Navo.
Editiones Ruelianaein minori forma. Pedacii Dioscorides
Anazarbei demedicinali materia libri quinq; de viruletis
animalibus et venenis cane rabioso, et eorum notis ac remediis
libri quatuor,JoanneRuellioSuessionensi interprete.
Dehistoria stirpium commentarii insignes, maximis impensis
et vigiliis elaborati, adjectis earundem vivis plusquam
quingentis imaginibus, nunquam antea ad naturae
imitationem arteficiosius effictiset express i.
Catalogus plantarum latine, graece, gemaniceet gallice.
N amenbuch alter erdgewachsen, lateinisch, griechlsch, teutsch
und franzosisch. U na cum vulgaribus pharmacopolarum
nominibus. Adjectaesunt etiam herbarum nomenclaturae
variarum gentium, Dioscoridi adscriptae secundum literarum
ordinem expositae.
Catalogus plantarum latine, graece, gemaniceet gallice.
N amenbuch alter erdgewachsen, lateinisch, griechisch, teutsch
und franzosisch. U na cum vulgaribus pharmacopolarum
nominibus. Adjectaesunt etiam herbarum nomenclaturae
variarum gentium, Dioscoridi adscriptae secundum literarum
ordinem expositae. Cum Dioscoride Ryffi.
D en nieuwen herbarius, dat is, dboeck van den cruyden int
welckebescreven isniet alleen diegantsehistorievan de
cruyden, maer oock gefigureert ende geconterfeyt.
Pedacii Dioscorides Anazarbei demedicinali materia libri
quinq; de viruletis animalibus et venenis cane rabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis libri quatuor,JoanneRueHio
Suessionensi interprete.
Pedacii Dioscorides Anazarbei demedicinali materia libri
quinq; de viruletis animalibus et venenis cane rabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis libri quatuor,JoanneRueHio
Suessionensi interprete.
Benedict Textor
[Venetiis]
1.9174
Joanne Ruellio
3rd ed
[Venetiis]
1.2302, 3
Johann Agricola,
Georg Paurle
[Basileae]
1.71, 3
Hieronymous
Bock (Tragus)
[Strassburg]
1.864, 4.52
Konrad Gesner
[Basileae]
1.3297
Konrad Gesner
[Parisiis]
1.3297
Konrad Gesner
[Venetiis]
3
Joanne Ruellio
1.2302, 3,
4th ed
[Basileae]
6
C T di Navo,
Longiano,
Egineta
[Venetia]
1.2315, 3
Joanne Ruellio
4th ed
[Basileae]
1.2306
Leonhard Fuchs
1.3138, 2,
[Basileae]
3, 4.59,
5.48
Konrad Gesner
[Tiguri]
1.3298, 7
Konrad Gesner
[Francofurti]
1.3298, 7
Leonhard Fuchs
1.3139, 2,
[Basel]
3
Joanne Ruellio
5th ed
[Francofurti]
1.2302, 3
Joanne Ruellio
1.2302, 3,
6th ed
[Lugduni]
4.61, 5.50
li
PRINTED BOOKS
1543
1543
1543
1543
1543
1544
1544
1544
1545
1545
1545
1546
1546
Latin
German
German
Latin
Latin
Italian
Latin
Italian
Latin
German
Latin
Latin
Italian
Editiones Ruelianaein minor i forma. Pedacii Dioscorides
Anazarbei demedicinali materia iibri quinq ; deviruletis
animalibus et venenis canerabioso, et eorum notis ac remediis
Iibri quatuorJoanneRuellioSuessionensi interprete.
In D ioscoridis historiam plantarum certissima adaptatio, cum
earundem iconum nomenclaturis graecis, latinis et
germanicis. D er kreuter rechte wahrhafftige contrafactur,
erkanntnuss und namen, kryechisch, lateinisch und deutsch,
nach der Beschreibung D ioscoridis.
New Kreuterbuch, in weichem nitallein diegantz histori das
ist, namen, gestalt, statt und zeit der wachsung natur, kraft
und wurckung des meysten theyls der kreuter so in teutschen
und andern landen wachsen, rhit dem besten vleiss
beschriben, sonder auch alter derselben wurtzel Stengel bletter,
blumen, samen, frucht und in summa die gantze gestalt allso
artlich und kunstlich abgebildet und kontrafayt ist, das
dessgleichen vormals niegesehen noch an tag kommen.
In D ioscoridaeA nazarba de re medica libros e M arcello
Virgilio versos scholia nova.
Dehistoria stirpium commentarii insignes, maximis impensis
et vigiliis elaborati, adjectis earundem vivis plusquam
quingentis imaginibus, nunquam antea ad naturae
imitationem arteficiosius effictiset expressi.
D i Pedacio D ioscorideAnazarbeo Iibri cincqe della historia et
materia medicinale tradotti in lingua volgare italiana da M
Pietro Andrea M attioli SaneseM edico. Con amplissimi
Discorsi, tfcommenti, et Dottissime annotation'! et censure
del medesimo interprete.
Apologia, qua refellit maltiosas Gualtheri Ryffi, veteratoris
pessimi, reprehen si ones, quaeilleDioscoridi nuper ex
Egenolphi officina prodeunti attexuit: obiterquequam multas,
imo propemodum omnes herbarum imagines esuis de
stirpium historia inscriptis commentariis idem suffuratus sit,
ostendit.
Di Pedacio D ioscorideAnazarbeo Iibri cique della historia et
materia medicinale tradotta in lingua volgare italiana da M
Pietro A ndrea M atthiolo Sanese medico.
Pedanii D ioscoridis Anazarbei demedicinali materia Iibri sex,
Joanne RueHioSuessionensi interprete. Singulis cum
stirpium, turn animantium historiis, ad naturae
aemulationem expressis imaginibus, seu vivis picturis, ultra
millenarium numerum adjectis; non sine multi plici
peregrinatione, sumptu maxi mo, studio atquediligentia
singulari ex diversis regionibus conquisitis. Per Gualtherum
H Ryff, Argentinum. Accesserein eundem autorem Scholia
nova, cum nomenclaturis graecis, latinis, hebraicise t
germanicis, Joanne L onicero, autore.
L ablicheAbbildung und C ontrafaytung alter kreuter, so der
hochgelert Herr L eon hart Fuchs in dem ersten they I seins
neuwen Kreuterbuchs hat begriffen, in ein kleinereform auf
das allerartlichest gezogen, damit sie fuglich von alien mogen
hin und wider zur noturfft getragen und gefurt werden.
Destirpium historia commentariorum tomi vivae imagines, in
exiguam angustioremqueformam contractae.
Pedacii Dioscorides Anazarbei demedicinali materia Iibri
quinq; de viruletis animalibus et venenis canerabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis Iibri quatuor.JoanneRuehio
Suessionensi interprete.
D ioscorideA nazarbeo delta materia medicinale. T radotto in
lingua florentina da M M arcantonio M ontigiano da S
Gimignano, medico.
Joanne Ruellio
5th ed
[Lugduni]
Otto Brunfels
[Argentorati]
Leonhard Fuchs
[Basell]
J Lonitzer
(Lonicerus)
[Marpurgi]
Leonhard Fuchs
[Parisiis]
Pietro Andrea
Mattioli
[Venetia]
Leonhard Fuchs,
Ryffi
[Basileae]
Pierandrea
Mattioli
[Venetia]
Joanne Ruellio,
Lonicero
[Francofurti]
Leonhard Fuchs
[Basell]
Leonhard Fuchs
[Basileae]
Joanne Ruellio
7th ed
[Lugduni]
Marcantonio M
da S Gimignano
[Genaio]
lii
1.2306
1.1285,
4.60
1.3139, 2,
3, 4.62, 6
1.5600
3
1.2316, 3
1.3141
1.5986, 3
1.2307
1.3140, 2
1.3140
1.2302, 3
1.2317,
4.69
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1546
1546
1546
1546
1547
1547
1547
1547
1547
1548
1548
1549
1549
1549
German
German
Latin
German
Latin
Latin
Italian
Italian
Latin
Italian
Italian
Latin
Greek
& Latin
Latin
Deshochberumpten Pedanii DioscoridisAnazarbei
Grundlicheund gewisseBeschreibung alter materien und
gezeugs der A rtzney, in sechs Bucher verfast, und zum ersten
mal aus der Griechsen und Lateinischen Sprachen grundlich
verteutscht durch Johan Dantzen von Ast.
H erbarum vivae ei cones ad naturae imitationem summa cum
diligentia et arteficio effigiatae, una cum effectibus earundem
in gratiam veteris illius et jamjam renascentis herbariae
medicinae, per Oth. Brunf.
Dehistoria stirpium commentarii insignes, maximis impensis
et vigiliis elaborati, adjectis earundem vivis plusquam
quingentis imaginibus, nunquam antea ad naturae
imitationem arteficiosius effictiset expressi.
Kreuterbuch. Darin Underscheid, Wurckung und N amen der
Kreuter, soin Deutschen Landen wachsen, auch derselbigen
eigentlicher und wohlgegrundeter Gebrauch in derArtznei
flessig dargeben, L eibs G esundheit zu behaltenund zu furdern
sehr nutlich und trostlich, Vorab dem gemeineeinfaltigen
M an.
Pedacii DioscoridesAnazarbei demedicinali materia libri
quinq ; de viruletis animalibus et venenis cane rabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis libri quatuorJoanneRuellio
Suessionensi interprete.
Editiones RueHianaein minori forma. Pedacii Dioscorides
Anazarbei demedicinali materia libri quinq; de viruletis
animalibus et venenis cane rabioso, et eorum notis ac remediis
libri quatuorJoanneRuellio Suessionensi interprete.
D ioscorideAnazarbeo della materia medicinal e. T radotto in
lingua florentina da M M arcantonio M ontigiano da S
Gimignano, medico.
D i Pedacio D ioscorideAnazarbeo libri cique della historia et
materia medicinale tradotta in lingua volgare italiana da M
Pietro A ndrea M atthiolo Sanese medico.
Dehistoria stirpium commentarii insignes, maximis impensis
et vigiliis elaborati, adjectis earundem vivis plusquam
quingentis imaginibus, nunquam antea ad naturae
imitationem arteficiosius effictiset expressi.
II DioscoridedeH' eccelenteDottor M edicoM P Andrea
M atthioli da Siena: co i suoi discorsi, da esso la seconda volta
illustrati et diligentementeampliati: con I'aggiunta del sesto
librodei rimedi di tutti i veleni dalui nuovamentetradotto,
et con dottissimi discorsi per tutto commentato.
D i Pedacio D ioscorideAnazarbeo libri cique della historia et
materia medicinale tradotta in lingua volgare italiana da M
Pietro A ndrea M atthiolo Sanese medico.
Pedacii DioscoridesAnazarbei demedicinali materia libri
quinq; de viruletis animalibus et venenis cane rabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis libri quatuorJoanneRuellio
Suessionensi interprete.
D ioscoridis libri octo graece et latine. C astigationes in eosdem
libros (auctoreJacoboGoupylo).
Pedanii DioscoridisAnazarbei demedicinali materia libri sex,
JoanneRueHio Suessionensi interprete. Singulis cum
stirpium, turn animatium historiis, ad naturaeaemulationem
expressis imaginibus, seu vivis picturis, ultra millenarium
numerum adjectis; non sinemultiplici peregrinations
sumptu maxi mo, studio atque diligentia singulari, ex diversis
regionibusconquisitis. Per Gualtherum R ivium, Argentinum,
M edicum. Accesserunt priori editioni Valerii Cordi Simesusii
A nnotationes doctissimae in D ioscoridis de medica materia
libros.
Johan Dantzen
1.2321,
von Ast
[Frankfurt am
Mayn]
4.67
Otto Brunfels
1.1283, 3,
[Frankfurt am
Mayn]
6
Leonhard Fuchs
[Parisiis]
1.3138
Hieronymous
1.865, 3,
Bock (Tragus)
[Strasburg]
4.66
Joanne Ruellio
8th ed
[Lugduni]
1.2302
Joanne Ruellio
6th ed
[Lugduni]
1.2306, 3
MM da S
Gimignano 2nd
ed
[Firenze]
1.2317, 3
Pierandrea
Mattioli
2nd ed
[Firenze]
1.5986
Leonhard Fuchs
[Lugduni]
1.3138, 3
P Andrea
Matthioli
[Vinegia]
1.2318, 3
Pierandrea
1.5986, 3,
Mattioli
3rd ed
[Vinegia]
5.59
Joanne Ruellio
9th ed
[Francofurti]
1.2302, 3
Jacobo Goupylo
[Parisiis]
1.2295, 3
Joanne Ruellio,
G Rivium
[Francofurti]
1.2308
liii
PRINTED BOOKS
1549
Italian
II D ioscoride dell' eccelen te D ottor M edico MPA ndrea
M atthioli da Siena: co i suol discorsi, da esso la seconda volta
illustrati et diligentementeampliati: con I'aggiunta del sesto
libro dei rimedi di tutti i veleni da lui nuovamentetradotto,
et con dottissimi discorsi per tutto commentato. Con
I'aggiunta di tuttelefiguredellepiante, delleherbe, delle
pietreedegi animali trattedal vero, et istesso natural e, etnon
piu stampate.
Pierandrea
Matthioli
[Mantova]
1.2319
1549
French
Commentaires tres excellens del'hystoire des plantes,
composez premierementen latin par Leon hart Fousch, inedecin
tres renomme; et depuis en franpois par un homme savant et
bien expert en la matiere.
Leonhard Fuchs
[Paris]
1.3139,
5.60
1549
Italian
Di Pedacio D ioscorideAnazarbeo libri cique della historia et
materia medicinale tradotta in lingua volgare italiana da M
P ietro A ndrea M atthiolo Sanese medico.
Pierandrea
Mattioli 3rd ed
[Mantova]
1.5986
1549
Latin
De historia stirpium commentarii insignes, maximis impensis
et vigiliis elaborati, adjectis earundem vivis plusquam
quingentis imaginibus, nunquam antea ad naturae
imitationem arteficiosius effictiset expressi.
Leonhard Fuchs
[Lugduni]
1.3138, 3
1549
Latin
Destirpium historia commentariorum tomi vivae imagines, in
exiguam angustioremqueformam contractaecum totidem
figuris ligno incisis absque textu praeter graecum, latinum,
gallicum, germanicum.
Leonhard Fuchs
[Basileae]
1.3140
1549
Latin
Destirpium historia commentariorum tomi vivae imagines, in
exiguam angustioremqueformam contractae. Stirpium
imagines, in enchiridi formam.
Leonhard Fuchs
[Lugduni]
1.3140
1550
Latin
Pedacii DioscoridesAnazarbei demedicinali materia libri
quinq; de viruletis animalibus et venenis canerabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis libri quatuor, Joanne Ruellio
Suessionensi interpr&e.
Joanne Ruellio
10th ed
[Lugduni]
1.2302, 3
1550
Latin
Editiones Ruellianaein minori forma. Pedacii Dioscorides
Anazarbei demedicinali materia libri quinq: de viruletis
animalibus et venenis canerabioso, et eorum notis ac remediis
libri quatuor, JoanneRuellio Suessionensi interprete.
Joanne Ruellio
7th ed
[Lugduni]
1.2306
1550
Latin
Editiones Rue/ianae in minori forma. Pedacii Dioscorides
Anazarbei demedicinali materia libri quinq: de viruletis
animalibus et venenis canerabioso, et eorum notis ac remediis
libri quatuor, JoanneRuellio Suessionensi interprete.
Joanne Ruellio
8th ed
[Venetiis]
1.2306, 3
1550
Italian
II D ioscoride dell' eccelen te D ottor M edico MPA ndrea
M atthioli da Siena: co i suoi discorsi, da esso la seconda volta
illustrati et diligentementeampliati: con I'aggiunta del sesto
libro dei rimedi di tutti i veleni da lui nuovamentetradotto,
et con dottissimi discorsi per tutto commentato.
P Andrea
Matthioli 2nd ed
[Vinegia]
1.2318
1551
Latin
Botanologicon. Valerii Cordi Adnotationes in D ioscoridis de
medica materi libros.
Eurich Cordus
[Parisiis]
1.1883
1551
Latin
De historia stirpium commentarii insignes, maximis impensis
et vigiliis elaborati, adjectis earundem vivis plusquam
quingentis imaginibus, nunquam antea ad naturae
imitationem arteficiosius effictiset expressi.
Leonhard Fuchs
[Lugduni]
1.3138, 3
1551
German
Kreuterbuch, darinn U nderscheidt, Namen und Wurckung
der Kreuter, Stauden Hecken und Beumen, sammt ihre
Fruchten, soin deutschen Landen wachsen ... durch
H ieronymum Bock aus langwiriger und gewisser erfarung
beschriben, und jetzund von newwm fleissig ubersehen,
gebessert und gemehret, dazu mit hupschen artigen und
lablichen Figuren der K reutter allenthalben gezieret.
Hieronymous
Bock (Tragus)
[Strassburg]
1.866
1552
Latin
Pedacii D ioscorides Anazarbei demedicinali materia libri
quinq: de viruletis animalibus et venenis canerabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis libri quatuor, JoanneRuellio
Suessionensi interprete.
Joanne Ruellio
11th ed
[Lugduni]
1.2302, 3,
4.72
1552
Latin
Editiones Ruellianaein minori forma. Pedacii Dioscorides
Anazarbei demedicinali materia libri quinq: de viruletis
animalibus et venenis canerabioso, et eorum notis ac remediis
libri quatuor, JoanneRuellio Suessionensi interprete.
Joanne Ruellio
9th ed
[Lugduni]
1.2306
liv
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1552
Italian
II Dioscoridedell' eccelenteDottor M edicoM P Andrea
M atthioli da Siena : Coi suoi discorsi per la terza volta
illustrati, et copiosamenteampliati: co'l sestolibrodegli
Antidoti contra a tutti i veleni da lui tradotto et con dottissimi
discorsi per tutto commentato. Aggiuntevi dueamplissime
tavole, neH'una deilequali con somma facilita si puo ritrovare
do, chein tutto il volumesi contiene; neH' altrapoi tutti i
Semplici medicamenti, per qual si voglia morbo adunati
in si erne.
Vincenzo
Valgrisi
[Vinegia]
1.2320
1552
Italian
D i Pedacio D ioscorideAnazarbeo libri cique della historia et
materia medicinale tradotta in lingua volgare italiana da M
Pietro A ndrea M atthiolo Sanese medico.
Pierandrea
Mattioli
5th ed
[Vinegia]
1.5986
1552
Latin
Stirpium differentiae ex Dioscoride secundum locos
communes, opus ad ipsarum plantarum cognitionem
admodum conducibile.
Benedict Textor,
H Tragi
[Argentinae]
1.9174, 3
1552
Latin
Destirpium maximeearum quaein Germania nostra
nascuntur, usitatis nomenclaturis, propriisquedifferentiis,
nequenon temperaturis acfacultatibus, Commentatiorum
libri tres, germanica primum lingua conscripti, nunc in
latinam conversi, interprete D avide Kybero, Argentinensi.
Bock, Textoris,
Gesner, Kyber
[Argentorati]
1.867, 2,
4.71, 5.66
1552
Latin
Destirpium historia commentariorum tomi vivae imagines, in
exiguam angustioremqueformam contractae. Plantarum
effigies, quinquediversis.
Leonhard Fuchs
[Lugduni]
1.3140
1552
Latin
Desimplicium medicamentorum historiae libri VII, interprete
N ic. M utono.
Serapion,
Mutono
[Venetiis]
1.8616
1553
French
L es six livres de P edacion D ioscoride d'A nazarbe de la matiere
medicale translatez de latin en franpois. A chacun chapitre
sont adjoutees certaines annotations fort doctes (par D M artin
M atthee).
Martin Matthee
[Lyon]
1.2314
1553
Latin
In D ioscoridisAnazarbei demateria medica libros
enarrationes eruditissimaeAmati Lusitani (iejuan
Rodriguez deC astei bran co) .
Amatus
Lusitanus (de
Castelbranco)
[Venetiis]
1.124, 2
1553-
1554
Latin
Trium priorum destirpium historia commentariorum
imagines ad vivum expressae. U na cum indicibus graeca,
latina, officinarum, germanica, brabantica, gailicaquenomina
complectentibus. Posteriorum.
Rembert
Dodoens
[Antwerpiae]
1.2343,
3, 5.68
1554
Latin
Pedacii DioscoridesAnazarbei demedicinali materia libri
quint j; de viruletis animalibus et venenis cane rabioso, et
eorum notis ac remediis libri quatuor,JoanneRuellio
Suessionensi interprete.
Joanne Ruellio
12th ed
[Lugduni]
1.2302
1554
Latin
D ioscorides, Pedanios, A nazarbeus interprete Pet. Andr.
M atthiolo, cum qusdem commentariis.
Pietro Andrea
Mattioli
[Venetii]
1.2309, 2,
3
1554
Latin
Pedacii Dioscoridis demateria medica libri VI innumeris locis
ab A ndrea M atthiolo emendati ac restituti.
Andrea
Matthiolo
[Lugduni]
1.2310, 3,
4.74
1554
Latin
In D ioscoridisAnazarbei demateria medica libros
enarrationes eruditissimaeAmati Lusitani (iejuan
R odriguez de C astei bran co).
Amatus
Lusitanus (de
Castelbranco)
[Argentini]
1.0124, 3
1554
Latin
A nnotationes in D ioscoridem Anazarbeum juxta
vetustissimorum tidem elaboratae.
Andres Laguna
[Lugduni]
1.4992
1554
Latin
P edacii D ioscoridis de materia medica libri sex, interprete
Petro Andrea M atthiolo, cum qusdem commentariis.
Pierandrea
Mattioli
[Venetiis]
1.5985
1554
Dutch
Cruydeboeck in den welcken diegheheelehistorie, dates
tgheslacht, tfatsoen, naem natuere, cracht endewerckingghe
van den cruyden, niet alleen hier telandewassende, maer oock
van den anderen vremden in der medecijnen
oorboorlijck..ghesfelt.
Rembert
Dodoens
[Antwerpen]
1.2344
lv
PRINTED BOOKS
1555
Spanish
P edacio D ioscorides A nazarbeo A cerca de la materia medicinal
y delos venenos mortiferos. Traducido delengua griega en la
vulgar caste/ 1 ana y illustrado con Claras y substan tiales
annotationesy con las figuras deinnumeras plantas
exquisitasy raraspor el Doctor Andres de Laguna, M edicode
Julio III Pont M ax.
Andres de
Laguna
[Anvers]
1.2313
1555
Italian
II D ioscoride dell ' eccelen te D ottor M edico MPA ndrea
M atthioli da Siena: co i suoi discorsi, da esso la seconda volta
illustrati et diligentementeampliati: con I'aggiunta del sesto
libro dei rimedi di tutti i veleni da lul nuovamentetradotto,
et con dottissimi discorsi per tutto commentato.
P Andrea
Matthioli
3rd ed
[Vinegia]
1.2318
1555
Italian
1 discorsi di M Pietro Andrea M atthiolonei sei libri della
materia medicinale di P edacio D ioscoride A nazarbeo.
Pierandrea
Mattioli
[Vinegia]
1.5987,
4.77
1555
Latin
Dehistoria stirpium commentarii insignes, maximis impensis
et vigiliis elaborate adjectis earundem vivis plusquam
quingentis imaginibus, nunquam antea ad naturae
imitationem arteficiosius effictiset expressi.
Leonhard Fuchs
[Lugduni]
3
1556
Latin
Annotationes in Dioscoridem.
Joannes Cosma
Holtzachius
[Lugduni]
1.4188
1556
German
Kreuterbuch, darinn U nderscheidt, Namen und Wurckung
der Kreuter, Stauden Hecken und Beumen, sammt ihre
Fruchten, soin deutschen Landen wachsen ... durch
H ieronymum Bock aus langwiriger und gewisser erfarung
beschrlben, und jetzund von newwm flassig ubersehen,
gebessert und gemehret, dazu mit hupschen artigen und
lablichen Figuren der K reutter allenthalben gezieret.
Hieronymous
Bock (Tragus)
[Strassburg]
1.866
1557
Latin
Pedacii D ioscoridae A nazarbensis de materia medica libri V ,
JanoComario M edico, Physico interprete. Ejusdem Jani
C omari i Emblemata singulis capitibus adjecta.
Jano Cornario
[Basileae]
1.2311, 3
1557
Latin
In DioscoridisAnazarbei demateria medica libros
enarrationes eruditissimaeAmati Lusitani.
Amatus
Lusitanus
(JR de
Castelbranco)
[Venetiis]
1.124, 3
1557
Spanish
FI istoria de las yervas y plantas, sacada de D ioscoride
A nazarbeo.
Juan Jarava
[Anvers]
1.2313, 7
1557
French
H istoi redes pi antes, en laquelleest contenuela description
entieredes herbes, c'est a direleurs especes, forme, noms,
temperament, vertus et operations non seulement de celles qui
croissent... usage demedecine.
Rembert
Dodoens
[Anvers]
1.2345,
4.78
1557
Latin
D e stirpium aliquot nominibus vetustis ac novis, quae multis
jam saeculis vel ignorarunt medici, vel dees dubitarunt: ut
sunt M ami ras, M oly, Oloconitis, Doronicum,
Bulbocastanum, Gramen Azelin vel Habbaziz et alia
complura, epistolaeduae... altera C Gesneri.
Melchior
Guilandinus
[Basileae]
1.3636
1558
Latin
D ioscorides, Pedanios, A nazarbeus interprete Pet. Andr.
M atthiolo, cum ejusdem commentariis.
Pietro Andrea
Mattioli 2nd ed
[Venetiis]
1.2309, 3
1558
Latin
In DioscoridisAnazarbei de medica materia libros quinque
A mati L usitani enarrationes eruditae. A ccedunt praeter
correctiones lemmatum etiam adnotationes R oberti
Constantini, necnon simplicium picturaeex Leonhardo
Fuchsio, J acobo D alechampioatque aliis.
Amatus
Lusitanus,
Constantini,
Fuchs,
Dalechamp
[Lugduni]
1.124, 3,
4.79
1558
Latin
A pologia adversus A matum L usitanum cum censura in
ejusdem enarrationes.
Mattioli,
Lusitanum
[Venetiis]
1.5977, 3
1558
French
L 'histoire des pi antes mis en commentaires par L eon art Fuchs
medecin tres-renomme, et nouvellement traduict delatin en
franpois avec vraye observation del'auteur en telle diligence
quepourra tesmoigner ceste oevre presente.
Leonhard Fuchs,
G Rouille
2nd ed [Lion]
1.3139
lvi
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1558
1558
1558
1559
1559
1559
1559
1559
1560
1560
1560
1560
1560
1560
1561
1561
Latin
Latin
Latin
French
Latin
Latin
Latin
Latin
Latin
Spanish
Latin
Latin
Italian
German
Spanish
Latin
Pedacii Dioscoridisde materia medicalibri sex, interprete PMattioli,
Petro, A ndrea M atthiolo, cum ejusdem commentariis. A djectis Lusitanum
plurimis plantarem et animalium i magi ni bus. 2nd ed
D e stirpibus aliquot epistolae V, M el chi oris G uilandini R IV,
Conradi Gesneri Tigurini I.
A pologiae adversus Petrum A ndream M atthiolum liber
primus, qui inscribiturTheon.
L es six livres de P edacion D ioscoride d'A nazarbe de la matiere
medicale translatez de latin en frangois. A chacun chapitre
sont adjoutees certaines annotations fort doctes (par D M artin
M atthee).
Pedacii Dioscoridis de materia medicalibri sex, interprete
Petro Andrea M atthiolo, cum qusdem commentariis. Adjectis
plurimis plantarem et animalium i magi ni bus.
A pologia adversus A matum L usitanum cum censura in
ejusdem enarrationes.
De stirpium historia commentariorum imagines, in duos
tomos digestae, supra priorem editionem multarum novarum
figurarum accessionelocupletatae.
M ethodi cognoscendorum simplicium libri III. Cum indice
copioso.
D ioscoride s, Pedanios, A nazarbeus interprete Pet. Andr.
M atthiolo, cum ejusdem commentariis.
P edacio D ioscoride s A nazarbeo A cerca de la materia medicinal
y delos venenos mortiferos. Traducido delengua griega en la
vulgar castellana y illustrado con Claras y substantiales
annotationesy con las figuras deinnumeras plantas
exquisitas y raras por el D odor A ndres de L aguna, M edico de
Julio III Pont M ax.
Stirpium descriptionis liber quintus, qua in Italia sibi visas
describit in praecedentibus \ /ei omnino intatas vel non poluit.
Demorboetobitu Valerii Cordi epistola H ieronymi Schreiberi
N orimbergensis.
Pedacii Dioscoridis de materia medica libri sex, interprete
Petro Andrea M atthiolo, cum ejusdem commentariis. Adjectis
plurimis plantarem et animalium i magi ni bus.
I discorsi di M . P ietro A ndrea M atthiolo nel sei libri della
materia medicinale di P edacio D ioscoride A nazarbeo.
[Venetiis]
Melchior
Guilandinus
[Patavii]
Melchior
Guilandinus
[Patavii]
Martin Matthee
2nd ed
[Lyon]
P Mattioli,
Lusitanum
3rd ed [Venetiis]
Mattioli,
Lusitanum
[Venetiis]
Rembert
Dodoens
[Antverpiae]
Bartolommeo
Maranta
[Venetiis]
Pietro Andrea
Mattioli 3rd ed
[Venetiis]
Andres de
Laguna
2nd ed
[Madrid]
Cordus,
Schreiberi,
Crucigeri
[Argentina]
P Mattioli,
Lusitanum
4th ed [Venetiis]
Pierandrea
Mattioli
[Venetia]
Kreuterbuch, darinn U nderscheidt, N amen und Wurckung Hieronymous
der Kreuter, Stauden Hecken und Beumen, sammtihre Bock (Tragus)
Fruchten, so in deutschen Landen wachsen ... durch [Strassburg]
H ieronymum Bock aus langwiriger und gewisser erfarung
beschriben, und jetzund von newwm fleissig ubersehen,
gebessert und gemehret, dazu mit hupschen artigen und
lablichen Figuren der Kreutter allenthalben gezieret.
P edacio D ioscorides A nazarbeo A cerca de la materia medicinal Andres de
y de los venenos mortiferos. T raducido de lengua griega en la Laguna
vulgar castellana y illustrado con Claras y substantiales 3 r d ec j
annotationesy con las figuras deinnumeras plantas [v ,
exquisitas y raras por el Doctor Andres de Laguna, M edico de 1 aenciaJ
Julio III Pont M ax.
1.5985,
4.80
1.3637
1.3638
1.2314,
4.81
1.5985, 3
1.5977
1.2343,
5.79
1.5796
1.2309, 3
1.2313, 7
1.1885
1.5985
3
1.866, 4.82
1.2313
A nnotationes in Pedacii D ioscoridis A nazarba de medica Valerius Cordus, 1.1884, 2,
materia libros V. Cum qusdem H istoria stirpium et Sylva etc. Aretii, Gesneri 3, 4.86
[Argentorati]
lvii
PRINTED BOOKS
1561
1561
1561
1561
1562
1562
1563
1563
1563
1563
1563
1565
1565
1565
1565
Latin
French
Latin
Italian
Latin
Czech
Spanish
Latin
Italian
German
Dutch
Greek
& Latin
Latin
Latin
German
H istoria plantarum. Earum imagines, nomenclatura,
qualitates et natalesolum. Quibus accesseresimplicium
medicamentorum facultates secundum locos et genera ex
Dioscoride.
LesC ommentaires deM P Andre M atthiolus sur les six livres
dePedacius D ioscorideA nazarbeen de la matiere medicinale.
T raduits de latin en frangois par M .A ntoine du Pi net.
H istoria plantarum. Quibus accesseresimplicium
medicamentorum facultates secundum locos et genera ex
Dioscoride.
Semplici, liquali in piu Pareri a diversi nobili huomini scritti
a paiono. N uovamentedeM Giovanni M arinello mandati in
luce. [L Anguillara was born asL Squalermo, though known
to his con temporaries as A loysius R omanus],
P edacii D ioscoridis de materia medica libri sex, interprete
Petro Andrea M atthiolo, cum e/usdem commentariis.
H erbarz: ginak Bylinarz PerT haddeum H agek.
P edacio D ioscorides A nazarbeo A cerca de la materia medicinal
y delos venenos mortiferos. Traducido delengua griega en la
vulgar caste/ 1 an a y illustrado con Claras y substan tiales
annotationesy con las figuras deinnumeras plantas
exquisitasy raraspor el Doctor Andres de Laguna, M edicode
Julio III Pont M ax.
Stirpium descriptionis liber quintus, qua in Italia sibi visas
describit in praecedentibus \ /el omnino intatas vel non poluit.
Demorbo et obitu Valerii Cordi eplstola H ieronymi Schreiberi
N orimbergensis.
I discorsi di M Pietro A ndrea M atthiolo ne I sei libri della
materia medicinale di P edacio D ioscorideA nazarbeo.
N ew Krauterbuch mit den allerschonsten und artlichsten
Figuren aller Gewechss, dergleichen vormals in ka'ner
Spracheniean den tag kommen. Folgends durch Georgium
H andsch der Arzney D octorem. (First G erman edition and
omits D ioscorides text).
Cruydeboeck in den welcken diegheheelehistoriedat es
tgheslacht, tfatsoen, naem natuere, cracht ende werckingghe
van den cruyden, niet alleen hier te lande wassende, maer oock
van den anderen vremden in der medecijnen
oorboorlijck..ghesfelt
Ped. D ioscoridis Anazarbei ad Andromachum, hocest de
curationibus morborum per medicamenta paratu facilia, libri
II. N unc primum et graeceediti etpartim aJoanneM oibano,
medico A ugustano, partim vero post hujus mortem a C orado
Gesnero in linguam latinam conversi; adjectis ab utroque
interpretesymphoniis Galeni aliorumque graecorum
medicorum.
D ioscorides, Pedanios, A nazarbeus interprete Pet. Andr.
M atthiolo, cum e/usdem commentariis. (large woodcuts).
P edacii D ioscoridis de materia medica libri sex, interprete
Petro Andrea M atthiolo, cum qusdem commentariis. Adjectis
plurimis plantarem et animalium imaginibus.
Kreuterbuch, darinn U nderscheidt, Namen und Wurckung
der Kreuter, Stauden Flecken undBeumen, sammt ihre
Fruchten, soin deutschen Landen wachsen ... durch
FI ieronymum Bock aus langwiriger und gewisser erfarung
beschriben, und jetzund von newwm flassig ubersehen,
gebessert und gemehret, dazu mit hupschen artigen und
lablichen Figuren der K reutter allenthalben gezieret.
Pierandrea
Mattioli
[Lugduni]
1.5994
P Mattioli,
Antoine du
Pinet
[Lyon]
1.5991, 3
Antoine du
1.2539
Pinet
[Lugduni]
4.87, 5.85
Luigi Anguillara
1.187, 2, 3,
[Vinegia]
4.84
Pietro Andrea
Mattioli 3rd ed
[Lugduni]
3
Mattioli, Hagek
[Praha]
1.5992
Andres de
Laguna
4th ed
[Salamanca]
1.2313
Cordus,
1.1885, 2,
Schreiberi,
Crucigeri
[Argentorati]
4.86
Pierandrea
Mattioli
2nd ed [Vinegia]
1.5987
Pierandrea
1.5989,
Mattioli,
4.89, 5.91,
G Handsch
[Prag, Venedig]
6
Rembert
Dodoens
[Antwerpen]
1.2345, 3
Moibano,
1.2298,
Gesnero, Gasser
[Argentorati]
4.91
Pietro Andrea
1.2309, 3,
Mattioli
[Venetiis]
4.93
P Mattioli,
1.5985,
Lusitanum
5th ed [Venetiis]
5.94
Hieronymous
Bock (Tragus)
[Strassburg]
1.866
lviii
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1566
1566
1567
1567
1568
1569
1569
1570
1570
1570
(1571)
1571
1571
1572
1572
1572
1573
Czech
Spanish
Latin
Latin
Italian
Latin
Latin
Spanish
Latin
Latin
Latin
Latin
French
French
German
Italian
Herbarz: ginakBylinarz ... per Adam H uber et Dan Adam.
P edacio D ioscorides A nazarbeo A cerca de la materia medicinal
y deios venenos mortiferos. Traducido delengua griega en la
vulgar castellana y illustrado con Claras y substantiales
annotationesy con las figuras deinnumeras plantas
exquisitas y raras por el D odor A ndres de L aguna, M edico de
Julio III Pont M ax.
H istoria plantarum. Earum imagines, nomenclatura,
qualitates et natalesolum. Quibus accesseresimplicium
medicamentorum facultates secundum locos et genera ex
D ioscoride.
H istoria plantarum. Quibus accesseresimplicium
medicamentorum facultates secundum locos et genera ex
D ioscoride.
I discorsi di M Pietro A ndrea M atthiolo ne I sei libri della
materia medlcinale di P edacio D ioscoride A nazarbeo.
D ioscorides, Pedanios, A nazarbeus interpretePet. Andr.
M atthiolo, cum ejusdem commentariis.
Pedacii Dioscoridis de materia medica libri sex, interprete
Petro Andrea M atthiolo, cum ejusdem commentariis. Adjectis
plurimis plantarem et animalium i magi ni bus.
P edacio D ioscorides A nazarbeo A cerca de la materia medicinal
y deios venenos mortiferos. Traducido delengua griega en la
vulgar castellana y illustrado con Claras y substantiales
annotationesy con las figuras deinnumeras plantas
exquisitas y raras por el D odor A ndres de L aguna, M edico de
Julio III Pont M ax.
Pedacii Dioscoridis de materia medica libri sex, interprete
Petro Andrea M atthiolo, cum ejusdem commentariis. Adjectis
plurimis plantarem et animalium i magi ni bus.
Stirpium adversaria nova, perfacilis ves tigatio, luculentaque
accessio ad priscorum, praesertim D ioscoridis et recent! orum
materiam medicam. Q uibus praediem accedit altera pars.
Conjectaneorum deplantis.
Compendium deplantis omnibus, una cum earum icon bus de
quibus scripsit suis in Commentariis in Dioscoridem editis.
N ovum herbarium, sivemethodus cognoscendorum omnium
simplicium.
LesCommentaires deM P AndreM atthiolus medecin senois,
sur les six livres de P edacius D ioscoride A nazarbeen de la
matiere medicinale etc. M is en franpois sur la dernier edition
latinedel'autheur par M .Jean desMoulins, docteur en
medecine.
LesCommentaires deM P AndreM atthiolus medicin senois
sur les six livres de P edacius D ioscoride A nazarbeen de la
matiere medicinale. Traduits delatin en franpois per M .
Antoinedu Pin&.
Kreuterbuch, darinn U nderscheidt, Namen und Wurckung
der Kreuter, Stauden Hecken und Beumen, sammt ihre
Fruchten, so in deutschen Landen wachsen ... durch
H ieronymum Bock aus langwiriger und gewisser erfarung
beschriben, und jetzund von newwm fleissig ubersehen,
gebessert und gemehret, dazu mit hupschen artigen und
lablichen Figuren der Kreutter allenthalben gezieret.
I discorsi di M Pietro A ndrea M atthiolo ne I sei libri della
materia medicinale di P edacio D ioscoride A nazarbeo.
Mattioli, Huber,
1.5993
Adam [Prag]
Andres de
1.2313,
Laguna 5th ed
5.95
[Salamanca]
Pierandrea
Mattioli
[Lugduni]
1.5994
Antoine du
1.2539,
Pinet
[Lugduni]
5.100
Pierandrea
1.5987, 3,
Mattioli
3rd ed [Vinegia]
6
Pietro Andrea
Mattioli
2nd ed
[Venetiis]
1.2309
P Mattioli,
Lusitanum
6th ed [Venetiis]
1.5985
Andres de
Laguna
6th ed
[Salamanca]
1.2313, 3
P Mattioli,
1.5985,
Lusitanum
7th ed [Venetiis]
3, 4.102
Pierre Pena,
1.7029, 2,
Mathias L'Obel
[Londini]
3, 4.103, 7
Pierandrea
1.5982, 3,
Mattioli,
Calceolarii
[Venetiis]
4.105, 6
Bartolommeo
Maranta
[Venetiis]
1.5796
P Mattioli, M.
Jean des
Moulins
[Lyon]
1.5991, 3
P Mattioli,
Antoine du
Pinet
[Lyon]
3
Hieronymous
Bock (Tragus)
[Strassburg]
1.866
Pierandrea
Mattioli
[Venetia]
3
lix
PRINTED BOOKS
1575
1576
1576
1577
1577
1578
1579
1580
1580
1581
1581
1581
1581
1581
1583
1583
French
Latin
Latin
Latin
German
English
French
French
German
Latin
Italian
Dutch
Flemish
Latin
Latin
Latin
L 'histoiredes pi antes reduicteen tres bon ordre, augmenteede
plusiers simples avec leurs figures et pourtraicts: et iilustree
par les commentaires deLeonarth Fusch, medicin tres-savant,
faicts premierement en latin et puis traduit en frangais.
Plantarum seu stirpium historia. Cui adnexum est
Adversariorum volumen.
Nova stirpium adversaria, perfacilis vestigatio, iuculentaque
accessio ad priscorum, praesertim Dioscoridis et recent! orum
materiam medicam. Q uibus access'd appendixcum indice
variarum linguarum locupl.
Epistolarum medicinalium libri III. His accesseruntAconiti
primi D ioscoridis asseveratio, et de oxymellitis elleborati
utriusquedsecriptioneet usu libellus. Omnia edita per
Casparum Wolphium.
Kreuterbuch, darinn U nderscheidt, Namen und Wurckung
der Kreuter, Stauden Hecken und Beumen, sammt ihre
Fruchten, so in deutschen Landen wachsen ... durch
H ieronymum Bock aus langwiriger und gewisser erfarung
beschriben, und jetzund von newwm flassig ubersehen,
gebessert und gemehret, dazu mit hupschen artigen und
lablichen Figuren der K reutter allenthalben gezieret.
A nieweherbali, or histori of plants; first set forth in the
doutche tongue, and now first translated out of french into
english by H enry LyteEsq.
Les Commentaires deM . P AndreM atthiolussur les six
livres de P edacius D ioscorideA nazarbeen de la matiere
medicin ale. Traduits de latin en francois par M .Jean des
M oulins.
L es six livres de P edacion D ioscoride d'A nazarbe de la matiere
medicaletranslatez de latin en frango/s. A chacun chapitre
sont adjoutees certaines annotations fort doctes (par D M artin
M atthee).
Kreuterbuch, darinn U nderscheidt, Namen und Wurckung
der Kreuter, Stauden Hecken und Beumen, sammt ihre
Fruchten, so in deutschen Landen wachsen ... durch
H ieronymum Bock aus langwiriger und gewisser erfarung
beschriben, und jetzund von newwm fleissig ubersehen,
gebessert und gemehrtf, dazu mit hupschen artigen und
lablichen Figuren der K reutter allenthalben gezieret.
Alphabetum empiricum sive Dioscoridis et Stephani
A theniensis philosophorum et medicorum de remediis expertis
liber, juxta alphabet I ordinem digestus.
I discorsi di M Pietro A ndrea M atthiolo ne I sei libri della
materia medicinale di Pedacio D ioscorideA nazarbeo.
Cruydeboeck in den welcken diegheheelehistoriedat es
tgheslacht, tfatsoen, naem natuere, cracht ende werckingghe
van den cruyden, niet alleen hier te lande wassende, maer oock
van den anderen vremden in der medecijnen
oorboorlijck..ghesfelt.
Kruydtboeck oft beschryvinghe van allerlyeghewassen
kruyderen, hesteren, endegheboomten.
Plantarum seu stirpium icones. leones ligno incisae
plerumque binae in unaquaque pagina.
D ioscorides, Pedanios, A nazarbeus interpretePet. Andr.
M atthiolo, cum ejusdem commentariis.
P edacii D ioscoridis de materia medica libri sex, interprete
Petro Andrea M atthiolo, cum ejusdem commentariis. Adjectis
magnis ac novis plantarum iconibus.
Leonhard Fuchs,
Charles Pesnot
3rd ed
[Lyon]
Matthias
Lobelius
[Antwerpiae]
Pierre Pena,
Mathias L'Obel
[Antverpiae]
Konrad Gesner
[Tiguri]
Hieronymous
Bock (Tragus)
[Strassburg]
Rembert
Dodoens
[London]
P Mattioli,
Jean des
Moulins
[Lyon]
Martin Matthee
3rd ed
[Lyon]
Hieronymous
Bock (Tragus)
[Strassburg]
Casparo
Wolphio,
Atheniensis
[Tiguri]
Pierandrea
Mattioli
[Venetia]
Rembert
Dodoens
[Antwerpen]
Matthias
Lobelius
[Antwerpen]
Matthias
Lobelius
[Antwerpiae]
Pietro Andrea
Mattioli 3rd ed
[Venetiis]
P Mattioli,
Lusitanum
8th ed [Venetiis]
lx
1.3139,
4.112
1.5548, 2,
4.114,
5.126, 6
1.7029, 2,
3, 4.115,
5.127
1.3302, 7
1.866
1.2345, 2,
3, 5.132,
4.118
3
1.2314, 3
1.866
1.10679,
3
3
1.2345
1.5548, 3
1.5549, 2,
3, 5.138, 6
1.2309, 3
1.5985,
4.124,
5.145
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1583
1583
1586
1586
1586
1587
1590
1590
1591
1591
1592
1593
1595
1595
1595
1596
Latin
Latin
Latin
German
English
German
German
Dutch
Latin
Latin
Italian
Latin
German
Latin
English
Latin
Deplanti libri XVI. Ad serenissimum Franciscum M edicem,
M agnumAetruriaeDucem.
S tirpium historiae pemptades sex sive libri XXX.
D e pi antis epitome utilissima novis plane ad vivum expressis
i coni bus descriptionibusque longe et pluribus et
accu rati ori bus, nunc primum diligenter aucta et locupletata a
D JoachimoCamerario.
Kreuterbuch des hochgelehrten und weitberuhmten Hr D
Petri AndreaeM atthioli, jetzt wiederumb mit vielen schonen
newen Figuren, auch nutzlichen Artzneyen und andern guten
Stucken zun andern M al aus sondrem Fleiss gemehrtund
gefertig durchjoachimum Camararium, der loblichen
R eichsstatt N urnberg M edicum.
A niewe herbal I, or histori of plants; first s& forth in the
doutche tongue, and now first translated out of french into
english by H enry LyteEsq.
Kreuterbuch, darinn U nderscheidt, Namen und Wurckung
der Kreuter, Stauden H ecken und Beumen, sammt ihre
Fruchten, so in deutschen Landen wachsen ... durch
H ieronymum Bock aus langwiriger und gewisser erfarung
beschriben, und jetzund von newwm fleissig ubersehen,
gebessert und gemehrtf, dazu mit hupschen artigen und
lablichen Figuren der Kreutter allenthalben gezieret.
Kreuterbuch des hochgelehrten und weitberuhmten Hr D
Petri AndreaeM atthioli, jetzt wiederumb mit vielen schonen
newen Figuren, auch nutzlichen Artzneyen und andern guten
Stucken zun andern M al aus sondrem Fleiss gemehrtund
gefertig durch Joachimum Camararium, der loblichen
R eichsstatt N urnberg M edicum.
Cruydeboeck in den welcken diegheheelehistoriedat es
tgheslacht, tfatsoen, naem natuere, cracht endewerckingghe
van den cruyden, niet alleen hier telandewassende, maer oock
van den anderen vremden in der medecijnen
oorboorlijck..ghesfelt
Annotation i et emendationi nella tradottionedell' eccell. PA
M attioli de' cinque libri della materia medicinaledi
D ioscoride.
leones stirpi urn seu plantarum tarn exoticarum quam
indigenarum in gratiam rei herbariaestudiosorum in duas
partes digestae. Cum septem linguarum Indici.
Annotation i et emendationi nella tradottionedeH' eccell. PA
M attioli de’ cinque libri della materia medicinaledi
D ioscoride.
Semplici ... . cum notis Casparis Bauhni.
Kreuterbuch, darinn U nderscheidt, Namen und Wurckung
der Kreuter, Stauden Hecken und Beumen, sammt ihre
Fruchten, so in deutschen Landen wachsen ... durch
H ieronymum Bock aus langwiriger und gewisser erfarung
beschriben, und jetzund von newwm fleissig ubersehen,
gebessert und gemehrtf, dazu mit hupschen artigen und
lablichen Figuren der Kreutter allenthalben gezieret.
Destirpium historia commentariorum tomi vivae imagines, in
exiguam angustioremqueformam contractae, ic. Lignoinc.
minimae.
A niewe herball, or histori of plants; first set forth in the
doutche tongue, and now first translated out of french into
english by H enry LyteEsq.
Pedacii Dioscoridisde materia medica libri sex, interprete
Petro, A ndrea M atthiolo, cum ejusdem commentariis. A djectis
magnis ac novis plantarum iconibus.
Andrea
Cesalpini
[Florentiae]
Rembert
Dodoens
[Antwerpiae]
Mattioli,
D ] Camerario
[Francofurti]
Mattioli,
Camerarium
[Frankfurt am
Mayn]
Rembert
Dodoens
[London]
Hieronymous
Bock (Tragus)
[Strassburg]
Mattioli,
Camerarium
[Frankfurt am
Mayn]
Rembert
Dodoens
[Antwerpen]
Antonio Pasini
[Bergamo]
Matthias
Lobelius
[Antwerpiae]
Antonio Pasini,
Mattioli
[Bergamo]
Luigi Anguillara
[Basileae] 2nd ed
Hieronymous
Bock (Tragus)
[Strassburg]
Leonhard Fuchs
[Lugduni]
Rembert
Dodoens
[London]
P Mattioli,
Lusitanum
9th ed [Venetiis]
1.1640, 2,
4.122
1.2350, 2,
3, 4.123
5.143
1.5983,
3.6,4.128
3
1.2345, 2
1.866
1.5990, 3,
5.160
1.2345
3
1.5549, 2,
3, 4.135
1.6964
1.187
1 . 866 , 3 ,
4.138
1.3140
1.2345, 2,
3, 5.171
1.5985
lxi
PRINTED BOOKS
1596
Czech
H erbarz: ginak Bylinarz ...per A dam Huber et Dan A dam.
Mattioli, 1.5993,
Camerar, Huber, 4.139
Adam [Prag]
1598
Latin
D ioscorides, Pedanios, A nazarbeus interpretePet. Andr.
M atthiolo, cum ejusdem commentariis.
Mattioli, Bauhin
[Basileae]
1.2309
1598
Greek &
nEAAKiOY aioekiaoy. P edaci i D ioscoridis A nazarbaei
Jani Antonii
1.2296, 2,
Latin
Opera quaeexstant, omnia. Ex nova interpretationejani
Antonii Saracenii Lugdunaei, medici.
Saraceni
[Lugduni &
Frankfurt am
Mayn]
3
1598
Latin
Pedacii D ioscoridis A nazarbei de materia medica libri
quinque. Ejusdem devenenis libri duo. Interpretejano
Antonio Sarraceno.
Jano Antonio
Sarraceno
[Frankfurt am
Mayn]
1.2312
1598
Latin
Opera, quaeexstant, omnia ; hocest: Commentarii in sex
libros Pedacii D ioscoridis A nazarbei de medica materia,
adjectis in margine variis graeci textus lectionibus ex
antiquissimis codicibus desumtis, qui D ioscoridis depravatam
lectionem restituunt: nuncaCasparoBauhinopost
diversarum editionum collationeminfinitis locis aucti.
Pierandrea
Mattioli,
Bauhino
[Basileae,
Frankfurt am
Mayn]
1.5984, 3,
4.144
1598
Latin
Petri Andrea M atthioli opera, quae exstant omnia ; hoc 58 est:
commentarii in sex libros Pedacii D ioscoridis A nazarbei de
medica materia, adjectis in margine variis graeci textus
lectionibus ex antiquissimus codicibus desumtis, nunc a
Casparo Bauhino post diversarum editionum collationem
infinitis locis aucti. Apologia in Amatum Lusitanum.
Pierandrea
Mattioli
10th ed
[Basileae]
1.5985
1598
German
Kreuterbuch des hochgelehrten und weitberuhmten Hr D
Petri AndreaeM atthioli, jetzt wiederumb mit vielen schonen
newen Figuren, auch nutzlichen Artzneyen und andern guten
Stucken zun andern M al aus sondrem Fleiss gemehrtund
gefertig durch Joachimum Camararium, der loblichen
R eichsstatt N urnberg M edicum.
Mattioli,
Camerarium
2nd ed
[Frankfurt am
Mayn]
1.5990
1600
German
Kreuterbuch des hochgelehrten und weitberuhmten Hr D
Petri AndreaeM atthioli, jetzt wiederumb mit vielen schonen
newen Figuren, auch nutzlichen Artzneyen und andern guten
Stucken zun andern M al aus sondrem Fleiss gemehrtund
gefertig durch Joachimum Camararium, der loblichen
R eichsstatt N urnberg M edicum.
Mattioli,
Camerarium
3rd ed
[Frankfurt am
Mayn]
1.5990, 3
1603
Latin
Appendix ad libros de pi antis: praeter appendicem ad
peripateticas quaestiones; redit in M useo di pi ante rare di
Boccone.
Andrea
Cesalpini
[Romae]
1.1641, 2
1604
Italian
1 discorsi di M Pietro A ndrea M atthiolo ne 1 sei libri della
materia medicinale di Pedacio D ioscorideA nazarbeo.
Pierandrea
Mattioli
[Venetia]
3,6
1605
French
LesC ommentaires deM P Andre M atthiolus sur les six livres
dePedacius D ioscorideA nazarbeen de la matiere medicinale.
Traduits delatin en franpoispar M . Antoine du Pinet: et
illustrez de nouveau d'un bon nombrede figures, et
augmentezen plus demillelieux a la derniere edition de
I'auteur, tant de plusiers remedes a diverses sortes de
maladies; queaussi des distillations: commeparaillement dela
connaissance des simples.
P Mattioli,
Pierre Rigaud,
Antoine du
Pinet
[Lyon]
1.5991, 3
1605
Latin
Dilucidaesimplicium medicamentorum explicationes et
stirpium adversaria, quibus accessit altera pars cum prioris
illustrationibus, castigationibus, auctuariis. Impr cum Lobelii
in G Rondelletii methodicam Pharmaceuticam officinam
animadversiones.
Pierre Pena,
Mathias L'Obel
[Londini]
1.7029, 2,
3, 4.115,
5.183, 6, 7
1606
English
Dodeon 's brief epitome of the new herbal or history of plants,
wherein is contained the disposition and true declaration of
thephysickehelpes of all sorts ofherbes and plants, under
their names and operations, collected out of the most exquisite
Rembert
Dodoens
[London]
1.2345
new herball, first set forth in the D utch or A Imayne tongue,
translated by Henry Lyte, esquire, and by William Ram,
gentleman: otherwise cal led Ram 's little Dodeon.
lxii
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1608
1610
1611
1614
1616
1616
1617
1618
1619
1619
1620
Latin Commentarius in tractasus D ioscoridis et Plinii deAmomo. Nicolo Marogna, 1.5818,3
Ponae
German
German
German
Latin
Latin
Italian
Dutch
French
English
French
Krauterbuch des uralten und in aller Welt beruhmtesten
Griechischen Skribenten Pedacii D ioscoridis A nazarbei, Von
allerle y wolriechenden Krautern, Gewurtzen, kostlichen Oelen
und Sal ben, Baumen, Hartzen, Gummi, Getrayt,
Kochkrautern, scharpffschmackenden Krautern, und andern
soallein zur A rtzney gehorig, Krauterwein, M etalle, Steinen,
allerley Erden, affern und jedem Giffi, vi el und mancherley
Thieren, und derselbigin heylsamen und nutzbaren Stuck. In
siben sonderbare Bucher unterschieden. Erslich durch
J oannem D anzium vo A st, der A rtzney D octorem,
verteutscht, Nun mehrabervon Petro U ffenbach. Wolerfahren
Wundartztes H ieronymi Braunsschweig zweyen Buchern.
Kreuterbuch des hochgelehrten und weitberuhmten Hr D
Petri AndreaeM atthioli.jetzt wiederumb mit vieien schonen
newen Figuren, auch nutzlichen Artzneyen und andern guten
Stucken zun andern M al aus sondrem Fleiss gemehrtund
gefertig durchjoachimum Camararium, der loblichen
R eichsstatt N urnberg M edicum.
Krauterbuch des uralten und in aller Welt beruhmtesten
Griechischen Skribenten Pedacii D ioscoridis A nazarbei, Von
allerley wolriechenden Krautern, Gewurtzen, kostlichen Oelen
und Sal ben, Baumen, Hartzen, Gummi, Getrayt,
Kochkrautern, scharpffschmackenden Krautern, und andern
soallein zur Artzney gehorig, Krauterwein, M etalle, Steinen,
allerley Erden, affern und jedem Gifft, viel und mancherley
Thieren, und derselbigin heylsamen und nutzbaren Stuck. In
siben sonderbare Bucher unterschieden. Erslich durch
J oannem D anzium vo A st, der A rtzney D octorem,
verteutscht, Nun mehrabervon Petro U ffenbach. Wolerfahren
Wundartztes H ieronymi Braunsschweig zweyen Buchern.
M inus cognitarum rariorumque nostro coeio orientium
stirpium in qua non paucaeab antiquioribusTheophrasto,
Dioscoride, Plinio, Galenoaliisquedescriptae, praeter i I las
etiam editas disquiruntur. Omnia fideliter ad vivum delineata
atque aenei's typis expressa.
Stirpium historiaepemptades sex sivelibri XXX . Varieab
auctore, paullo ante mortem, aucti & emendati.
C ommentarius in tractasus D ioscoridis et Plinii deAmomo.
[Basileae]
Ast, Uffenbach, 1.2322
Braunsschweig
[Frankfurt am
Mayn]
Mattioli, 1.5990, 3
Camerarium
4th ed
[Frankfurt am
Mayn]
Ast, Uffenbach, 1.2322
Braunsschweig
[Frankfurt am
Mayn]
Fabio Colonna 1.1823, 7
[Rornae]
Rembert 1.2350, 2,
Dodoens 3, 4.163,
[Antwerpiae] 5.201, 6
Nicolo Marogna, 1.5818
Giovanni Pona
[Venezia]
Cruydeboeck in den welcken diegheheelehistoriedat es Rembert 1.2345, 3
tgheslacht, tfatsoen, naem natuere, cracht ende werckingghe Dodoens
van den cruyden, niet alleen hier telandewassende, maer oock [Leyden]
van den anderen vremden in der medecijnen
oorboorlijck..ghesfelt; volgens seine laeste verheteringe.
Les Commentaires deM P Andre M atthiolus sur les six livres PMattioli, 3
dePedacius Dioscoride Anazarbeen de la matiere medicinale. Antoine du
T raduits de latin en francois par M Antoine du Pi net. Pinet
[Lyon]
A new herbal, or historieof plants; wherein is contained the Rembert 1.2345,2,
whole discourse and perfect description of all sorts of herbes Dodoens 3,4.167,6
and plants. First set forth in theDutch or Almaignetongue, [London]
by that learned D R embert D odoens, now first translated out
of French into English by Henry Lyte Esquire. Corrected and
amended.
Les Commentaires deM P AndreM atthiolus sur les six livres PMattioli, 3
dePedacius D ioscoride Anazarbeen de la matiere medicinale. Antoine du
T raduits de latin en francois par M Antoine du Pinet. Pinet
[Lyon]
lxiii
PRINTED BOOKS
1623
1623
1626
1627
1628
1628
1636
1644
1645
1655
1655
1671
1674
Italian
Del vero balsamo degli antichi. Commentario sopra I'historia Giovanni Pona
di Dioscoride, na qualesi prova, chesolo I'opobalsamo arabico [Venetia]
e il iegitimo, es'esclude ogn 'altro licore abbacciato sotto ii
nomedi balsamo.
1.7261
Latin
Pinax theatri botanici, siveindex in Theophrasti, Dioscoridis,
Piinii et botanicorumqui a saeculo scripserunt, opera:
plantarum circiter sex millium ab ipsis exhibitarum nomlna
cum earundem synonymiis et differentiis methodicesecundum
earum et genera et species proponens. 0 pus X L annorum
hactenus non editum summopereexpetitum et ad auctores
intelligendos plurimum.
Kaspar Bauhin
[Basiliae]
1.509, 7
German
Kreuterbuch des hochgelehrten und weitberuhmten Hr D Mattioli,
Petri AndreaeM atthioli, jetzt wiederumb mit vielen schonen Camerarium
newen Figuren, auch nutzlichen Artzneyen und andern guten 5th e d
Stucken zun andern M al aus sondrem Fleiss gemehrtund rFrankfurt am
gefertig durchjoachimum Camararium, der loblichen i, ,
Reichsstatt N urnberg M edicum. aynJ
1.5990, 3,
5.210
French
LesC ommentaires deM P Andre M atthiolus sur les six livres
dePedacius D ioscorideA nazarbeen de la matiere medicinale.
Traduits delatin en francoispar M Antoinedu Pinet.
P Mattioli,
Antoine du
Pinet
[Lyon]
3
French
Les oeuvres divisees en cinq traictez. 1. Les com men fair es sur
Dioscoride.
Jacques &
Paul Contant
[Poictiers]
1.1850,
4.177
French
Les divers exercices dejacques et Paul Contant pereet fils,
maistres apoticaires dela villedePoictiers, ou sont esclaircis
et resouldz plusiers doudtes qui serencontrent en quelques
chapitres deDiosocride&qui ont travaille plusiers interpretes
composez par ledit Jacques et recuillies, receus, augmentez et
misen bon ordrepar ledit Paul, pour servir decommentaire
aus simples ascriptz dans son poesme intitule: lesecond Eden.
Paul Contant
[Poictiers]
1.1851
Spanish
P edacio D ioscorides A nazarbeo A cerca de la materia medicinal
y delos venenos mortiferos. Traducido delengua griega en la
vulgar caste/ 1 ana y illustrado con Claras y substan dales
annotationes y con las figuras deinnumeras plantas
exquisitasy raraspor el Doctor Andres de Laguna, M edicode
Julio III Pont M ax.
Andres de
Laguna
7th ed
[Valencia]
1.2313, 3
Dutch
Cruydeboeck in den welcken diegheheelehistoriedat es
tgheslacht, tfatsoen, naem natuere, cracht ende werckingghe
van den cruyden, niet alleen hier te lande wassende, maer oock
van den anderen vremden in der medecijnen oorboorlijck ...
ghesfelt; volgens seine laeste verheteringe.
Rembert
Dodoens
[Antwerpen]
1.2345, 3
Italian
1 discorsi di M Pietro A ndrea M atthiolo ne 1 sei libri della
materia medicinale di P edacio D ioscorideA nazarbeo.
Pierandrea
Mattioli
[Venetia]
3
French
LesC ommentaires deM P Andre M atthiolus sur les six livres
dePedacius D ioscorideA nazarbeen de la matiere medicinale.
Traduits delatin en francoispar M Antoinedu Pinet.
P Mattioli,
Antoine du
Pinet
[Lyon]
3
Latin
Stirpium illustrationes. Plurimas elaborantes inauditas
plantas, subreptiliisjoannis Parkinsoni rhapsodiis e codice
manuscripto insalutato sparsim gravatae.
Matthias
Lobelius
[Londini]
1.5550
Latin
Pinax theatri botanici, siveindex in Theophrasti, Dioscoridis,
Piinii et botanicorumqui a saeculo scripserunt, opera:
plantarum circiter sex millium ab ipsis exhibitarum nomina
cum earundem synonymiis et differentiis methodicesecundum
earum et genera et species proponens. 0 pus X L annorum
hactenus non editum summopereexpetitum et ad auctores
intelligendos plurimum.
Kaspar Bauhin
[Basiliae]
1.509, 7
Latin
Opera, quaeexstant, omnia; hocest: Commentarii in sex
libros Pedacii D ioscoridis A nazarbei de medica materia,
adjectis in margine variis graeci textus lectionibus ex
antiquissimis codicibus desumtis, qui D ioscoridis depravatam
lection em restituunt: nunc a C asparo Bauhino post
diversarum editionum collationeminfinitis locis aucti.
Pierandrea
Mattioli,
Bauhino
[Basileae]
1.5984, 3,
5.332, 6
lxiv
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1674
1674
1677
1678
1680
1695
1714
1733
1744
1751
1752
Latin
Latin
Spanish
German
French
Spanish
Latin &
German
Spanish
Latin
Latin
Spanish
Petri Andrea M atthioli opera, quaeexstant omnia ; hoc 58 est:
commentarii in sex libros Pedacii D ioscoridisAnazarbei de
medica materia, adjectisin marginevariis graeci textus
lectionibus ex antiquissimus codicibus desumtis, nunc a
Casparo Bauhino post diversarum editionum collationem
infinitis iocis aucti. A pologia in A matum L usitanum.
A pologia adversus A matum L usitanum cum censura in
ejusdem enarrationes.
P edacio D ioscorides Anazarbeo, A cerca de la materia
medicinal y delos venenos mortiferos. Traducido deiengua
griega en la vulgar castellana y illustrado con Claras y
substantiates annotationesy con las figuras deinnumeras
plantas exquisitas y raras por el D odor Andres de L aguna,
M edico dejulio III Pont M ax.
Kreuterbuch des hochgelehrten und weitberuhmten Hr D
Petri AndreaeM atthioli, jetzt wiederumb mit vieien schonen
newen Figuren, auch nutzlichen Artzneyen und andern guten
Stucken zun andern M al aus sondrem Fleiss gemehrtund
gefertig durchjoachimum Camararium, der loblichen
R eichsstatt N urnberg M edicum.
LesCommentaires deM . P. Andre M atthiole, medecin seinois,
sur les six l/vres de la matiere medicinale dePedacius
D ioscorideAnazarbeen. Traduitsdelatin en franpoispar
Antoinedu Pi net: et enriches de nouveau d'un n ombre
considerable de figures ; et augmentez tant de plusiers remedes
a di verses sortes de maladies; com aussi d'un traite de chymie
en abregepour I'analysetant des vegetaux quedequeiques
animaux et mineraux, par en D octeur en medecine. D erniere
edition, revue, corrigeeet misedans un meilleur language
avec deux tables latine et franpoise.
P edacio D ioscorides A nazarbeo A cerca de la materia medicinal
y delos venenos mortiferos. Traducido deiengua griega en la
vulgar castellana y illustrado con Claras y substantiates
annotationesy con las figuras deinnumeras plantas
exquisitas y raras por el D odor A ndres de L aguna, M edico de
Julio III Pont M ax.
Botanologia medica, seu dilucida et brevis manududio ad
plantarum et stirpium ... in officinis pharmaceutis
usitatarum. Kurseanweisung, wiediejenigen krauter und
gewachse, welzein der artzney gebrauchlich und in den
apotheken befindlich, nutzen..angeivend.
P edacio D ioscorides A nazarbeo A cerca de la materia medicinal
y delos venenos mortiferos. Traducido deiengua griega en la
vulgar castellana y illustrado con Claras y substantiates
annotationesy con las figuras deinnumeras plantas
exquisitas y raras por el D odor A ndres de L aguna, M edico de
Julio III Pont M ax.
Petri Andrea M atthioli opera, quaeexstant omnia ; hoc 58 est:
commentarii in sex libros Pedacii D ioscoridisAnazarbei de
medica materia, adjedisin marginevariis graeci textus
lectionibus ex antiquissimus codicibus desumtis, nunc a
Casparo Bauhino post diversarum editionum collationem
infinitis Iocis audi. A pologia in A matum L usitanum.
Stirpium descriptionis liber quintus, qua in Italia sibi visas
describit in praecedentibus vel omnino intatas vel non poluit.
Demorboetobitu Valerii Cordi epistola H ieronymi Schreiberi
N orimbergensis.
P edacio D ioscorides A nazarbeo A cerca de la materia medicinal
y delos venenos mortiferos. Traducido deiengua griega en la
vulgar castellana y illustrado con Claras y substantiales
annotationesy con las figuras deinnumeras plantas
exquisitas y raras por el D odor A ndres de L aguna, M edico de
Julio III Pont M ax.
Mattioli,Lusitan
um, Bauhin
11th ed
[Basileae]
Mattioli,
Lusitanum
[Basileae]
Andres de
Laguna
8th ed
[Valencia]
Mattioli,
Camerarium
6th ed
[Frankfurt am
Mayn]
Pierandrea
Mattioli,
Antoine du
Pinet
[Lyon]
Andres de
Laguna 9th ed
[Madrid]
Bartholomaeus
Zorn
[Berlin]
Laguna,
Matthioli 10 th
ed
[Madrid]
Pierandrea
Mattioli
12th ed
[Basileae]
Cordus,
Schreiberi,
Crucigeri
[Norimbergae]
Andres de
Laguna 11th ed
[Madrid]
1.5985
3
1.2313
1.5990, 3
1.5991, 3
1.2313
1.10506
1.2313
1.5985
1.1885, 2
1.2313
lxv
PRINTED BOOKS
1779
Latin &
leones plantarum medicinalium. A bbildungen von
Johann Zorn,
1.10507, :
-1784
German
arzneigewachsen. [5 volumes].
D L Oskamp,
J C Krauss
[Nurnberg]
3
1784
-1790
Latin &
German
leones plantarum medicinalium. A bbildungen von
arzneigewachsen. Zweiteaufl age [enlarged, 6 volumes].
Johann Zorn,
D L Oskamp,
J C Krauss
[Nurnberg]
1.10507
1794
-1801
Latin &
Dutch
A fbeeldingen der artseny-gewassen met derzelver
N ederduitscher en Latynschebeschryvingen. [6 volumes].
Johann Zorn,
D L Oskamp,
J C Krauss
[Amsterdam]
4.639
1806
-1813
Latin
Florae graecaeProdromus: siveplantarum omnium
enumeratio, quasin provinciis aut insulis Graeciaeinvenit
Johannes Sibthorp ... Characteres et synonyma omnium cum
annotation! bus el aboravit Jacobus E dvardus Smith.
John Sibthorp,
James E Smith
[Londini]
1.8659, 2,
3
1806
-1840
Latin
Flora graeca: siveplantarum rariorum historia, quas in
provinciis aut insulis G raeciae legit, investigavit et depingi
curavit Johannes Sibthorp. Flicillicetiam insertaesupauculae
species, quas vir idem clarissimus, Graeciam verso navigans,
in itinerepraesertim apud 1 tali am et Siciliam, it venerit. [10
volumes]
John Sibthorp,
James E Smith
[Londini]
1.8660, 2
1821
Czech
Catalogus plantarum ad septem i /arias editiones
commentariorum M athioli in Dioscoridem adLinnaeani
systematis regulas el aboravit
Mattioli, 1.5993,
K M v Sternberg 1.8957, 2,
[Pragae] 3
1829
Greek &
Pedanii D ioscoridisAnazarbei demateria medica libri
Curtius Sprengel 1.2297,
-1830
Latin
quinque. Ad fidem codicum manuscriptorum, editionis
Aldinae principis usquequaqueneglectae, et interpretum
priscorum textum recensuit, varias addidit lectiones,
interpretationem emendavit, commentario illustravit Curtius
Sprengel.
[Lipsiae]
4.968, 6
1844
Italian
D i Pedacio D ioscorideAnazarbeo libri cincqe della historia et
materia medicinale tradotti in lingua volgare italiana da M
Pietro Andrea M attioli (M atthiolo?) SaneseM edico. Con
amplissimi Discorsi, et commend, et Doth ssi me annotation'!
et censure del medesimo interprete.
Mattioli,
Giuseppe
Moretti
[Milano]
1.2316
1902
German
D es Pedianos D ioskurides aus A nazarbos arzneimittellehre in
funfbuchern... ubersetzt... von J Berendes [plant
identifications annot].
Julius Berendes
[Stuttgart]
8.13, 7
1906
Latin
Dioskurides. Codex Aniciaejulianaepicturis illustratus, nunc Josef von
Vindobonensis. Med. Gr. Iphototypiceeditus. Prefaces by A de Karabacek
Premerstein, Karl Wessely and Josef M antuani. 2 volumes. [Lugduni,
Batavorum,
Leiden]
7
1906
-1914
Greek
Pedanii D ioscuridisAnazarbei demateria medica libri
quinque, ed M Wellmann, 3 vols [the critical Greek text].
Max Wellmann
[Berlin]
7, 8.13
9.19
1906
-1907
Greek
D ie schrift des D ioskurides: nepi anXav pappaKcov...
Max Wellmann
[Berlin]
9.45
1906
Greek &
Latin
Codex Vindobonensis in codices graeci et ladni: Facsimile,
cur. Scatone deVries, volumelO.
Scatone de Vries
[Leiden]
8.14
1934
English
TheG reek herbal of D ioscorides, illustrated by a Byzantine
AD512. Englished by John Goodyer AD 1655.
John Goodyer,
R T Gunther
[Oxford]
3,
5.Appl2
1935
Latin
Pedanii D ioscuridisAnazarbei demateria medica libri VII
accedunt N icandri et Eutecni opuscula medica. Codex
Constantinopolitanus saeculoX exaratus et Picturis olim
M anuelis Eugenici Caroli Rinuccini Florentini, Thomae
PhillippsAngli nunc inter Thesauros PM Bibliothecae
asservatus. 2 vols. Photographic edition.
Pierpont
Morgan
[Paris]
7, 8.27
1957
Spanish
L a version arabe de la 'M ateria medica' de D ioscorides (texto,
variantes e indices), E studio dela transcripcion delos
nombres griegos al arabey comparacion delas versiones
griega, arabey castellana. In Dubler, CE, La materia medica
de D ioscorides T ransmision medieval y renacen tista
(1953-1959), volume2 of 6 volumes.
Cesar E Dubler
and Elias Teres.
2nd ed
[Barcelona]
7
lxvi
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1959
English
The Greek herbal ofDioscorides, illustrated by a Byzantine
AD512. Englished by John Goodyer AD1655, edited and first
printed AD 1933.
John Goodyer,
RT Gunther
reprint
[New York]
3,
5.Appl2,
7
1965
-1970
Greek
Codex Vindobonensis medicusGraecus 1 der Osterreichischen
N ationalbibliothek. 5 vols, colour facsimile; 1 vol commentary.
Hans Gerstinger
(Graz)
3,7
1968
Latin
Codex Aniciaejulianaepicturis illustratis 512 ... (complete
facsimile edition oftheViennaDioskurides). Partsl-lll.
Dioskurides
Facsimile
[Graz]
3
1970
2000
Spanish
English
E 1 D ioscori des Ren ovado
D ioscori des de materia medica, being a herbal with many
other materials written in G reek in the first century of the
common era. An indexed version in modern English.
[Barcelona]
TA Osbaldeston,
RPA Wood
[Johannesburg]
10
NOTE: SPELLING
At the time most of the abovementioned books were written spelling tended to be variable. Spelling of
proper names depended upon the language used. The list of printed books uses the spelling found in
the first reference consulted for each entry.
References for printed books
1 Pritzel, GA. T hesaurus LiteraturaeBotanicae, Brockhaus, Leipzig 1872.
2 Jackson, BD. Guide to the Literature of Botany, Hafner Publishing Company, New
York 1964; facsimile of 1881 edition.
3 Hall, EC. Printed Books 1481-1900, The H orticultural Society of New York, The
Horticultural Society of New York, New York 1970.
4 Johnston, SH. TheCleveland Herbal, Botanical, and H orticultural Collections, pre-1830
works, The Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio 1992.
5 Quinby ,J. Catalogue of Botanical Books in TheCollection of Rachel M cM asters M iller
H unt, Volume I, Printed Books 1477-1700, The Hunt Botanical Library, Pittsburgh
1958.
6 The Royal Horticultural Society, The Lindley Library, Catalogue of Books, Pamphlets,
M anuscripts and D rawings, London 1927.
7 Greene, Edward Lee. Landmarks of Botanical H i story, 2 volumes, Stanford
University Press, Stanford 1983.
8 Nissen, Claus. H erbals of five centuries, translated by Werner Bodenheimer and A
Rosenthal, L'Art Ancien, Zurich, Robert Wolfe, Munich, Weiss-Hesse, Olten, 1958.
9 Singer, Charles Joseph. 'The herbal in antiquity and its transmission to later ages',
in Journal ofH eilenic Studies, vol 47, 1927, ppl-52 & 10 col plates.
10 Anderson, Frank J. An illustrated history of the herbal s, Columbia University Press,
New York 1912.
lxvii
GAZETTEER OF DIOSCORIDES' WORLD
Valeriana rigida
from ENGLER-PRANTL
— 1897
GAZETTEER OF
DIOSCORIDES' WORLD
ACREAS — A ere in Israel, a large bay on the south Levant coast and main
port for G alilee, the H auran and D amascus; known as Ptolemais to the Romans,
a part of the Seleucid Empire.
ADRIA — a town in Italy between R avenna and Venice, at the mouths of
the river Po.
ADRIATIC, ADRIATIC COAST — the sea between Italy, Yugoslavia and
Albania, a portion of the Mediterranean, from the Gulfs of T rieste and Venice
in the northwest to the Strait of 0 tranto in the southeast, where it connects to
the Ionian Sea.
AEGIS AETOLIA — A egae (V erg in a) is a town in north Pieria overlooking
the coastal plain of Macedonia. A etoiia (/A itoiia), a federation of rural cantons
in west-central Greece, lay north of the Gulf of Corinth, with Arcarnania to
the west, D olopians in the north, and A enis, M alis D oris and 0 zolian L ocris to
the east.
AFRICA, AFRICAN — originally this was the coastal plain of today's
Tunisia, N umidia being inland. At the height of the Roman Empire, Africa
was regarded as all of the African continent bordering the Mediterranean
Sea. Sometimes indicating A ethiopia (Abyssinia).
AGARIA, in the SARMATIAN (country) — the A gar i were a Scythian people
of Sarmat/a Europaea, on the shore of the Palus M aeotis (Sea of Azov). They
were skilled in medicine. Sarmatia, in southern Russia between the Caucasus
and the Danube, is now called Scythia. In Dioscorides' time Scythia was the
country south of the Danube delta in modern Romania now called the
Dobruja. Its inhabitants were the Scythae or Scythians. After 395CE the
northern province of the diocese of Thrace in Greece was called Scythia.
Pontus was on the southern shore of the Black Sea.
AGRIGENTO — a city and province of southern Sicily, with P aiermo to the
northwest.
ALBANIA — the smallest country of the Balkan Peninsula in southeast
Europe; Yugoslavia is to the north and northeast, Greece to the south and
southeast, and the Adriatic Sea is on the west. The people are descended
from Illyrians and Thracians.
ALEXANDRIA — an Egyptian seaport on the Mediterranean; west of the
Canopic mouth of the Nile River; northwest of Cairo; seat of the Roman
prefecture of Egypt; its original site protected by Pharos Island and the Pharos
lighthouse; one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
ALIARTUS, in BOEOTIA — H aliartus was an ancient town in B oeotia on the
South of Lake C opais. B oeotia, is a district of Greece to the northeast of C orin th,
the Copaic Basin is in the north, the Ismenian Plain in the south. Thebes,
named after the Egyptian town, is its main city; A ttica is to the south.
ALPS — a mountain range in Europe from the Apennines of the Italian
Peninsula, to the Carpathians and the Dinarics. Used to indicate habitat
rather than position at times.
AMANUS, a hill in Cilicia — the Amanus-Lebanon Mountains, in the
northeast Mediterranean Levant, near / sken derun, Turkey.
AMELUM — A melia, or A meria, is a city in Umbria, Italy.
AMINAEAN — A minios was the name of a rivulet near the hill city of
T hon i ka, in Parassi a.
ANDROS ISLAND — a large island of the Cyclades group in the A egean
Sea, divided from E uboea by the D oro Channel, with the city of A ndros on its
west coast and the port of G aurion for a harbour. It was first occupied by the
Ionians, and in 1832 became a Greek territory.
lxviii
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
ANTICYRA — more anciently Anticirra, a town in Phocis, its harbour on
the Crissaean gulf was called Cyparissus. Also a town in Thessaly, on the
Spercheus River.
APOLLONIA, near EPIDAMNUS — Apollonia, a former Corinthian colony,
now a ruin near the coast of the Adriatic Sea in Albania; north of this was
Epidamnus, another Corinthian colony.
APULIA — an Italian district on the lower Adriatic coast from the M onte
G argano Promontory, southeast to the tip of the Salentine Peninsula.
ARABIA, ARABIA PETRAEA — Arabia is the peninsula of the southwest
portion of Asia. To the north flows the Euphrates to Dar az-Zur, then the
border goes southwest through Pal my ra to Damascus, and south to the Gulf
of A qaba. The northwest, called A rabia Petraea, means Rocky Arabia.
ARCADIA — an elevated plateau surrounded by mountains in the
Pdoponnesos to the south of Greece. Roman poets considered Arcadian
shepherds an ideal of virtue and innocence.
arguritidi — Argura in Thessaly, Greece, was a city of Pe/asgiotis, and
possibly Homer's A rgissa.
ARMENIA — an area including the centre of Russian Transcaucasia and
Turkish Armenia. In ancient times Armenia included eight Turkish districts
(vilayets). The populace were Khaldians, Phrygians and Cimmerians.
ASCALON — a city in Phi list/ a, now part of Israel.
ASIA — the largest continent.
ASIA MINOR — the westernmost peninsula of Asia, also known as
A natolia, part of modern Turkey.
astypalaea — A stypalaea or A stipalaia (A stipal ea) is one of the fifty Greek
islands of the Dodecanese in the A egean Sea off the coast of southwest Asia
Minor.
ATHENS, ATHINAI, ATHENIAN — the most important city of ancient
Greece, on the Plain of A ttica; the surrounding mountains are H ymettus to
the east. Pen teli kon to the northeast, and Parnis to the north; to the south and
west the plain opens on the Saronic Gulf.
ATTICA, ATTIC — the area around Athens in central Greece; the
peninsula between the Gulf of E uboea and the Saronic Gulf, with B oeotia to
the northwest, and the M egarid to the southwest.
BABYLON, BABYLONIA, ASSYRIA, SUMER — Babylonia occupied the
Tigris-E uphrates plain from modern Baghdad in the northwest to the Persian
Gulf in the southeast. Previously the area to the southeast was Sumer, and
that to the northwest, A kkad. Assyria was north of Babylon along the upper
Tigris and the Great and Little Zab rivers; its modern neighbours would be
Iran, Turkey and Syria. Iraq north of the Euphrates includes most of
Babylonia and Assyria. Babylon, the ancient capital of Babylonia, was on the
banks of the E uphrates River, south of Baghdad. Its old Semitic name was
Bab-ilu, 'gate of God', which became Babel in Hebrew. Babylon had entered
its long decline well before the time of Dioscorides.
BALEARES — the Balearic islands in the western Mediterranean,
belonging to Spain, an archipelago of fifteen islands, reputedly the 'magic
isles' of the Hesperides.
BARBARIAN — primitive alien, foreigner, not Greek or Aryan. Barbary is
the region of north Africa from Egypt to the Atlantic coast, including the
modern states of Morocco, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli.
BENGAL — a flat area drained by the extensive Ganges-Brahmaputra
river systems from the foothills of the Himalayas to the coast of the Bay of
Bengal. Today the east is Bangladesh, and the west is part of India.
BESSLAN — the Bessians were a fierce and powerful Thracian people
living on Mount H almus as far as E uxene.
BITHYNIA — a territory in northwest Asia Minor, from south of the Sea of
M armara to the Bithynian Mount Olympus (Ulu D ag), west to M ysia, and east
to H erakla'a Pontica and Paphlagonia.
lxix
GAZETTEER OF DIOSCORIDES' WORLD
BOEOTIA, BOEOTICAN — a district of Greece to the northeast of Corinth;
the Copaic Basin is to the north, the Ismenian Plain to the south. Thebes,
named after the Egyptian town, is its primary city; A ttica forms the southern
border. It is now known as Voiotia.
BOSPORUS — a strait connecting the northeast Black Sea with the
southwest Sea of Marmara. It separates European Turkey and Istanbul from
Asiatic Turkey and U skudar. Bosporus meaning 'ox ford', was named after
the goddess Io. It is twenty miles long, with turbulent water and strong
conflicting currents.
BRITTANY — the Armorican peninsula of northwest France on the
Atlantic coast, home to Celtic tribes.
brutia — Bruttium, Bruttius, Bruttiorum ager, also Brutii, is the southern
extremity of Italy.
BUNI - The Buni were the race of the Liburni, later called Illyrians,
dwelling between the A rsa and the T ityus River, on the northeast coast of the
Adriatic.
CAMPANIA around NOLA — this is an area on the west coast of the Italian
peninsula along the Tyrrhenian Sea, with the Garigliano River to the north
and the Gulf of Poll castro to the south. It extends inland to the Apennines.
Ager Campanus was the plain behind Naples. Mount Vesuvius is on the
coastal plain, and N ola is a city on the plain.
CANOPUS — Canobus, Canopus, an important city on the coast of lower
Egypt near the western mouth of the Nile.
CAPPADOCIA — a region in Asia Minor between Lake T atta and the
Euphrates. The northern part became P on tus ( qv ). The Taurus and Antitaurus
mountain ranges are in the southeast.
CARIA — an ancient country in southwest Asia Minor, with the A egean
Sea to the south and southwest, Ionia and Lydia to the north, and Lycia and
Phrygia to the east, and including the islands of Rhodes and Cos. The
mainland now belongs to Turkey.
CARTHAGE, NEW CARTHAGE, CARTHAGO NOVA, CARTAGENA — city and
nation, originally the Phoenician colony of T yre, on the east coast of modern
Tunisia, called Q art hahasht in Semitic, meaning 'new town'. Tunis is situated
almost on the city of ancient C arthage, and Tunisia is essentially the territory
of Carthage. Cartagena, the greatest Carthaginian stronghold in Spain, is
southeast of Madrid in Spain. This port has a beautiful natural harbour.
CELTS, CELTIC — Celtae, Galatae, Galli. Used for people of northern and
western Europe who were not Iberian; later the Germans were considered
distinct. Celtic is an Indo-European language, still spoken in areas of Wales
and Ireland.
CENTURIPINUM — an ancient town of the Siculi in Sicily at the foot of
Mount A etna, on the road from C atana to Panormus.
CERAUNIAN MOUNTAINS — also known as the Taurus, Moschic,
Amazonian, Caspian, Coraxic, or Caucasus.
CHALCEDON — a town in northwest Asia Minor on Bithynia, the
peninsula between the Black Sea and the Sea of M armara.
CHALCIS — a town on the Greek island of E uboea.
CHARACIAN — Charax was the name given to several small cities,
originally military stations, the most remarkable at the mouth of the Tigris
River.
CHELIDONIA — Chelidonia insulae, five small islands off the promontory
H eira or C helidonia on the south coast of Lycia.
CHIOS (Isle of), CHIAN [from Scios in the A egean sea] — a Greek island in
the Aegean Sea near the central west coast of Asia Minor. Khios on the east
coast is the capital. It was settled by Ionians.
CILICIA (near Gentias in Cilicia) — a region of southeast Asia Minor
between Pamphylia and Syria, from the coast to Mount Taurus. The great
highway of Asia Minor passed through the coastal province of C Hid a T rachea
and the inland plain C ilicia P edias. In the time of Dioscorides it was part of the
Roman province of Syria-C ilicia-Phoenice. Also known as Little Armenia, it is
lxx
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
now part of Turkey. The Cilician Gates (Kulak Bughaz in Turkish), a pass
through the Taurus Mountains, connects Konya in the Anatolian Plateau
with T arsus and A dan a in the Cilician Plain. G entias is otherwise unknown.
cimolia — Cimolis, Cimolos, Kimolos, or Argentine, an island in the
Agean Sea, one of the Cyclades, between Siphnos and M el os.
CO — possibly Cos, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea off the southwest
coast of Caria in Asia Minor; one of the Sporades Islands, settled by Dorians
from the Argolid northwest of the Peloponnesus Peninsula; the centre for the
school of medicine founded by Hippocrates.
COLCHIS, COLCHIDICEN, COLCHOS — Colchis, now named Vaniis, is on
the Black Sea in Georgia, south of the Caucasus Mountains, in the delta of
the Phasis River (R ionl). Jason and the Argonauts undertook the voyage from
I olcus in T hessaly (1/ o/os) in 1280BCE to search for the Golden Fleece at C olchls.
Up to the 1930's, fleece were gilded by pegging out sheepskins in the rivers
originating in the Caucasus, to gather gold particles.
COLOPHON — a town in Ionia, Asia Minor, north of £ phesus and south of
Smyrna.
COMAGENO — Commagene is the northeast district of Syria, and part of
the Greek kingdom of Syria.
COON — possibly C oos, C os, K os, one of the Sporades Islands.
CORINTH — a Greek town on the Isthmus of Corinth which separates
Peloponnesos from the rest of Greece.
CORYCIA — on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, near the Corinthian Gulf,
hosted the most famous oracle of ancient Greece. The Corycean cave was
dedicated to Pan and the Nymphs, with nocturnal dancing and wild
bacchanalean orgies.
CRETE, CRETA, CRETAN — the largest Greek island in the A egean Sea,
south of Athens and the Dardanelles Straits (see Mount Ida).
CUMAE — city in Campania, Italy, west of Naples.
CYCLADES, KIKLADHES, CYCLADEAN ISLANDS — a large group of islands
in the A egean sea off the southeast coast of Greece, with a circular distribution
around Delos. Larger islands include Naxos, Andros, Tinos, Paros, Siros,
Mykonos and Santorini (Thera).
cyparissian — Cyparissus, a small town in Phocis on Parnassus near
Delphi.
CYPRUS, CYPRIOTE, CYPRIAN — a large island in the eastern
Mediterranean, south of the Turkish province of C Hid a; mostly Greek, partly
Turkish.
CYRENAICA — the northeast province of Libya.
CYRENE — chief population centre of Cyrenaica, inland from the port of
A pol Ionia.
CYZICUM, CYZICENIAN — Cyzicus was a Greek city in Phrygia, Asia
Minor, on the southern shore of Propontis (Sea of M armara).
DACIA — the Transylvanian plateau with the Danube River and the
Carpathian mountains to the east and south; now central Romania.
Occupied by Thracians, Scythians from south Russia, Celts, and others, who
spoke a Latin dialect eventuating in Romanian. D ad a is today the northwest
portion of Bulgaria.
DICAEARCHIA — founded by Greeks from Samos as D ikaiarchia, and
named Puteoli by the Romans. Today it is Pozzuoli, a city in Naples province,
Campania, Italy, on a promontory in the Gulf of Pozzuoli.
DAMASCUS — capital of Syria and of the province of Damascus (Esh
Sham or D imashq in Arabic) in southwest Syria, on the Barada River and the
eastern side of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains; southeast of Beirut, Lebanon,
and the Mediterranean Sea; one of the first permanent cities in the Middle
East.
EGYPT — a country at the northeast part of Africa, surrounded by the
Mediterranean Sea, Israel, the Red Sea, the Sudan, and Libya.
lxxi
GAZETTEER OF DIOSCORIDES' WORLD
ELIS, in ACHAIA — Elis, a city in the province of the same name, in
classical Greece, was west of A r cadi a, south of A chaea and north of M essenia,
with its coastline along the Sicilian Sea. A chaea is a province south of the Gulf
of Corinth. E Us was not in A chaea.
ENNA, in Sicily — Enna, formerly called C astrogiovanni, and even earlier
U mbilicus Siciliae, is a province and capital city in central Sicily, south of
Palermo and west of C atari i a. It has the highest elevation of any Sicilian city.
EPHESUS, EPHESIAN — a city in Asia Minor settled by Ionians, at the
mouth of the Cayster River, south of Smyrna (now Izmir). The Temple of
Artemis and its successor the Temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of
the ancient world, was here.
ERETRIA — a city in the Greek province of £ uboea, north of the Euboean
Gulf, with B oeotia and A ttica to the south on the Gulf.
ETHIOPIA — also known as Abyssinia or Aethiopia; an empire in
northeast Africa founded by Semitic immigrants from southern Arabia.
ETRURIA, HETRURIA, TYRRHENIA, THUSCANS, TUSCANY — Etruria, a
territory in northwest Italy, had Cispadane Gaul to the north, Umbria to the
east, and Latium to the south. The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the
Mediterranean, and Etruria's western boundary. The Etruscans were
Tyrrhenians to the Greeks, and T usd or £ trusci to the Romans. They were
possibly Lydian settlers who merged with local Umbrians. At one time their
influence extended across the Apennines to the foothills of the Alps, and
south to Naples and Rome. The Etruscans were incorporated into Rome.
EUBOEA — an island on the east central coast of the Greek peninsula.
The second largest A egean island, now £ vvoi.
GAGAS, river mouth — Gagae, a town on the coast of Lycia, east of M yra,
and the source of gagate, or jet, stone.
GALATIA, in Asia — region of Asia Minor, a portion of Phrygia with
Bithynia and Paphlagonia to the north, Lycaonia and Cappadocia to the south,
Pontus on the east and the remainder of P hrygia to the west. It was settled by
Gallic or Gallo-Graeci tribes.
Galatia, islands of; near M essalia, the stoechades — Stoechades Insulae,
five small islands in the Mediterranean off the coast of G alii a N arbonensis and
east of M assilia. Old names included Prote, M ese, and Hypaea.
GALLIA near the Alps, GAUL, GALLIA, GALLICA — Gallia was used before
the time of Julius Caesar to indicate all the land inhabited by the Galli or
Celtae, including most of northern and western Europe and the British Isles.
Transalpine or Farther Gaul included modern France, Belgium, parts of
Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Cisalpine or Hither Gaul was
the Po valley area in Italy
GANGES RIVER, India — rising in U ttar Pradesh, south of the Himalayas,
then flowing over the Hindustan Plain to the Bay of Bengal; the great holy
river of India.
GILEAD — a mountainous region of Transjordan, east of the Jordan
River, from the Dead Sea to the Sea of Galilee.
GREECE, GREEK — the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula (except for
some Turkish islands), the A egean archipelago, and the islands of the Ionian
Sea. To the north are Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria; in the northeast the
M aritsa River separates western Greek Thrace and eastern Turkish Thrace.
The Aegean, Mediterranean, and Ionian Seas surround the rest of the
mainland.
GYMNESIAN ISLES, called BALEARES — see Baleares, Spain; Balearic
Islands.
HELICON — the H el icon (£ I ikon 0 ros) is a mountain in B oeotia, north of
the Gulf of Corinth, near Mount P am assu sand the P am es Mountains (P at eras
Or os).
HELIS, on the river ANIGRUS — Anigrus was a small river in the
Triphylian Elis, noted for its foul smell and healing powers. See Elis.
lxxii
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
heraclea, of Pontus (H eracleotia) — properly called Heraclea Pontica, a
town on the Black Sea coast of northwest Turkey, east of Uskudar and
northwest of Ankara, destroyed by the Romans in the Mithridatic wars
(88-66BCE); modern Eregli is built on the site.
HIERAPOLIS — a city of Great Phrygia, near the M aeander river. Also the
name of the city formerly called B ambyce, in the northeast of Syria.
IBERIA — the Iberian Peninsula is today occupied by Spain and Portugal.
The Iberian language, spoken in Spain and southern Gaul as far north as the
Garonne River, may be related to modern Basque.
IDA, or PSILORITI - the highest mountain in Crete.
ILLYRIA — an ancient country to the east of the Adriatic Sea; the area
includes areas of modern Albania, Montenegro, Herzegovina, and
Yugoslavia. Illyria was known as Dalmatia in Roman times, with Scodra
(Shkoder in Albania) its principal city.
INDIA - separated from the rest of Asia by the Himalayan Mountains,
the Indian subcontinent includes Pakistan and Bangladesh. To the north are
Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. To the
south lie the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea.
IONIA — on the west coast of Asia Minor along the A egean Sea between
M ysia and C aria, with L ydia to the east, the valley of H ermus in the north, and
the M aeander valley in the south, and Caystrus the central valley. It was
founded by Ionians.
ISIACI, the — the Jewish people.
ISTRIA, ISTRUS — a peninsula at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea,
now mainly part of Croatia, divided from the mainland by the M onti della
Vena, the highest peak being M onteM aggiore. Only Trieste is still Italian. The
original Illyrian people were called H istri because the region was drained by
the H ister (Danube) River.
ITALY, ITALIA — a peninsula extending from the European continent
southward into the Mediterranean, with the Adriatic Sea on the east; to the
north it is edged by the Alps of France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.
The earliest settlers may have been I tail'd Aryans from the north; Etruscans
from Asia Minor or the Orient arrived on the Tuscan coast; and Greeks
settled in the south. The plains south of the Tiber River ( Latium ) were settled
by Latins, in due course becoming Rome. Ancient Italy was south of this, and
north of Sicilian Italy, from the Adriatic to the Mediterranean. By the time of
Dioscorides the Romans had conquered all of Italy.
JUDAEA, JUDEA — a division of Palestine under the Romans who later
integrated it with Syria, eventually making Judaea and Samaria the unified
province of Palestina Prima.
KISSAS — Cissus, a town in Macedonia on the mountain of the same
name.
LACEDAEMONIA — Lacedaemon was the E urotas Valley, occupied by the
Lacedaemonians. Ancient Sparta, situated on the Acropolis hill on the west
bank of the E urotas River, was the chief city of Laconia, in the southeast
Peloponnesos.
LATINS, LATINI — the Italici tribe who settled Latium, the territory south
of the Tiber River among the Alban Hills where the city of Rome developed.
LEMNOS, LIMNOS — an island of the Greek Archipelago in the A egean
Sea, between the Ch aid dice ( Khalkidike ) peninsula in northern Greece and
Turkey.
LESBOS — now Lesvos, also called M itilini after its main town; a Greek
island in the A egean Sea near the west coast of Asia Minor. Theophrastus was
born at Eresus on this island. Lesbian means from Lesbos.
LIBYA (AFRICA) — Libya is a state in north Africa, south of the
Mediterranean, with Egypt, the Sudan, Chad, Niger, Algeria and Tunisia as
neighbours. Its two coastal provinces are the ancient Cyrenaica (qv) and
Tripolitania, both part of the Roman Empire. Cyrenaica was settled by the
Greeks, and Tripolitania by the Phoenicians. Africa was sometimes used to
indicate Cyrenaica, Libya, or the lands beyond.
lxxiii
GAZETTEER OF DIOSCORIDES' WORLD
LIGURIA, LIGURIAN ALPS, on the APENNINE, a hill bordering the Alps -
Liguria is a region of Italy along the north shore of the Gulf of Genoa
(Ligurian Sea) up to the Maritime Alps and the Ligurian Apennines; its main
city is Genova. The Apennine mountain range extends along the Italian
peninsula, forming the watershed for the entire peninsula. The Ligurian
Apennines stretch from Bocchetta dell' A Itare west of Savona (Bormida River) to
La Cisa Pass, north of La Spezi a (M agra River) sloping steeply to the Ligurian
Sea, and gently on the north to the Po Valley.
LIPARIS, LIPARA — the Li pari (Aeolian) islands are an archipelago of
seven islands and ten islets off the northeast coast of Sicily. Aeolus was the
mythical king of the winds.
LUCANIA, LUCANLAN — an area of southern Italy, now called Basilicata,
with the Gulf of Taranto in the Ionian Sea and the Gulf of Poli castro on the
Tyrrhenian Sea, northward to the 0 fan to River; to the west are the Lucanian
Apennines.
LYCIA — a district on the south Mediterranean coast of Asia Minor with
C aria on the west, Phrygia and Pisidia on the north, and Pamphylia on the east;
the Taurus mountain range is prominent, and the main river and city are
X an thus.
MACEDONIA, and by the river HALIOCMON — the south of the Balkan
peninsula includes Greece, Bulgaria and M acedonia. M acedonia was originally
only the area between Lake Kastoria and the H aliocmon (A liakmon ) River. By
the time of Dioscorides it included the area of M acedonia within today's
Greece.
MAGI — the Magi tribe of MEDIA, a class of Zoroastrian ( qv ) priests in
ancient Media and Persia reputed to possess supernatural powers, being
specialists in divination from dreams, astrology, and magic. In Dioscorides'
time the name was used for those claiming occult powers of Babylonian or
Oriental origin. See M edia.
magnesia, in Caria — M agnesi a ad Sipylum now called M anisa, is the
capital of a vilayet in west central Turkey, near Smyrna (Izmir) on the A egean
Sea coast, in the H ermus (G ediz ) River Valley. See C aria.
massaleotica — possibly M assalia, M assilae, M assilia, now Marseille,
France.
MECCA — one of the twin capitals of Saudi Arabia, on the west coast of
the Arabian Peninsula, east of Jidda, its port on the Red Sea.
MEDIA — a kingdom in northwest Persia ruled by the Medes or M adai
tribes originally from southern Russia. Median territory lay from Susiana in
southern Persia to the H alys River in central Asia Minor. See Magi.
MEGARA — capital of M egaris, opposite the island of Sal am is, near
Athens.
MELIA — M eliani was an inland Chaonian town in southern Albania.
MELOS — an island in the Cyclades group in the A egean Sea, north of the
Sea of Crete and the island of Crete, now M ilos or M Ho.
MEMPHIS, in A r cadi a — M emphis was the capital of ancient Egypt, south
of Cairo across the River Nile. The Egyptian name was M en-nefer, or M emphis
in Greek. Its sacred name H ikuptah indicated house of the ka (genius) of Ptah,
its great God, or A iguptos in Greek. M emphis cannot be traced in Arcadia. The
department A rcadia (qv) lies in the the Peloponnesus in southern Greece.
messenia — an area in the Peloponnesus, south of Arcadia and Sciritis,
west of Laconiia, now M essinia, forming the Gulf of M essinia in the
Mediterranean.
MOSUL — the second largest city of Iraq, on the west bank of the Tigris
River, northwest of Baghdad in the region formerly called Assyria; its
Aramaic name was Hesna 'E bray a; ancient Nineveh is east of M osul on the
east of the Tigris River.
MYSIA, in the HELLESPONT, Asia — M ysia was the northwest province of
Asia Minor with Pergamum the capital city, on the Caicus River, with the
Aegean Sea to the west and the Hellespont (Dardanelles) on the northwest.
The H ellespont is the narrow strait from the A egean Sea to the Sea of Marmara.
lxxiv
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
NABATAEA (in Arabia) — a kingdom in the Middle East in the northwest
of the Arabian Peninsula, now called Jordan, east of Palestine (Israel),
surrounded by Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf of A qaba.
NARBONA, near Spain — first called N arbo M artius, the first Roman
colony in Gaul, named N arbona in the time of Dioscorides, now N arbonne, it is
a city in southern France in the department of A ude, east of C arcassonne near
the Mediterranean. Gallia N arbonensis indicated all of southern France in
Roman times.
NAXOS, NAXIAN — the largest island of the Cyclades group, a Greek
archipelago in the south A egean Sea.
NEW CARTHAGE, in Spain — a port on the Mediterranean Sea in the
province of M urcia in southeast Spain southeast of Madrid, a magnificent
natural harbour, called Carthago Nova by the Romans, now Cartagena. See
Carthage.
NILE RIVER — the world's longest river, its farthest source being the
Kagera River near Lake Tanganyika. It flows along the Rift Valley, the edge of
the Abyssinian Plateau, the Red Sea hills, the Sudanese plain, the Nubian
Desert, a Libyan limestone trough in Egypt, then into the extensive Nile
Delta below Cairo, and into the Mediterrannean Sea.
NISYRUS — a small island in the Carpathian Sea near the Triopium
promontory of Caria.
OLYMPUS, mountain in Lycia — a number of mountains in Greece, Asia
Minor and Cyprus were named 0 lympus, the most famous being the Greek
0 lympus T hessalus in north T hessaly, 0 lympus Bithynus at U ludag near Bursa in
northwest Turkey, and Olympus in Lycia, Asia Minor. See Lycia.
OSTHANES — Ostha was a city of the Indian people, the Siramnai
(Rhamnai).
OSTRACEAN — Ostra, Ostranes, a town in Umbria in the territory of the
Senones.
PACHYNUM, promontory near Syracuse — the cape on the southeast tip
of Sicily, south of Syracuse, in the Mediterranean Sea.
PALMYRA, in Syria — Palmyra i.e. palm city, its Arabic name T admor, is an
oasis northeast of Damascus.
PAMPHYLIA — a narrow strip of the south coast of Asia Minor between
Lycia and Cilicia, bordering on Pisidia.
PAROS, PARIAN — one of the larger islands of the Cyclades group south
of the Greek mainland in the A egean Sea.
PARNASSUS — a mountain in the Pindus range in Greece north of the
Gulf of Corinth, in the territory of Phocis; the town and Temple of Delphi
were on its southern side; Mount Lycorea, one of its twin peaks, is the site of
the Corycian Grotto.
PELOPONNESUS — the mainland peninsula of Greece south of the Gulfs
of Corinth and Patrai, with the narrow Isthmus of Corinth joining it to Attica;
its provinces Arcadia and Argolis included the towns of Sparta and Olympia,
site of the Olympic games, now P el oponnesos.
PERGA — important ancient city of Pamphylia between the rivers
Catarrhactes and Cestrus, on a little island northeast of A tt alia.
PERSIA — the southwest Asian country, original home of the Aryan race,
and now Iran. The Persian Empire of ancient times extended from Egypt to
the Indus River. The Mesopotamian civilizations of Sumeria, Babylonia and
Assyria preceded it.
PETRA, in j udaea — a city in Jordan, capital of the Nabataeans, a people of
Arabic background, situated halfway between the port of Ezion-geber in the
Gulf of A qaba, and G aza on the Mediterranean Sea.
PHILADELPHIA, in LYDIA — Philadelphia was 'the city of the open door'
in Lydia on the great trade route from Susa, capital of Persia, east through
Sardis and Philadelphia to Ephesus on the Aegean Sea; Lydia was an area in
central Asia Minor with Sardis as its capital, and for a period the Greek states
lxxv
GAZETTEER OF DIOSCORIDES' WORLD
on the coast of Asia Minor and much of the interior of Phrygia came under
Lydian control, but its political power had waned long before the time of
Dioscorides. See Sardis.
PHOENICIA — a district on the Syrian coast inhabited by Semitic traders
called Phoenicians, the main independent city-states were T yre, Si don, Beirut
and Byblos. Trading posts established by the Phoenicians included Carthage
in north Africa and Cadiz in Spain. By the time of Dioscorides, Phoenicia had
been added to the Roman province of Syria.
PHOLOE — a mountain forming the boundary between A rcadia and E I is.
PHRYGIA — the western Anatolian Plateau of central Asia Minor, its
capital Gordion on the Sangarios River was taken by the Cimmerians in the
seventh century BCE.
PISIDIA, in PAMPHYLIA — Pisidia, an ancient province of Asia Minor, lay
east of Caria, south of Phrygia, west of Cilicia and north of Lycia and
Pamphylia ; Pamphyiia occupied the coastal area to the southeast of Pisidia.
PITYUSA, an island near Spain — two islands off the south coast of Spain
and west of the Baleares, called Ebusus (/visa), and Ophiussa ( Formentera ).
PLAGIOPOLIS — possibly Placia, a small Pelasgian colony at the foot of
Mount Olympus in Greece.
PNIGITIS — Ecclesia ( Pnyx ) means place of assembly.
PONTUS, PONTIC — an ancient kingdom in northeast Asia Minor on the
south shore of the Black Sea as far as the H alys River. The herbalist Crateaus,
whose beautiful drawings illustrate the Codex Vindobonensis of Dioscorides,
was physician to Mithridates VI of Pontus.
PROPONTIS, around the island Besbicum — a small sea which unites the
E uxine and A egean Seas, and divides Europe from Asia.
PSOPHIS, in A rcadia — a town in the northwest of A rcadia on the river
Ery man thus, originally called Phegia.
puteoli — see D icaearchia.
RAVENNA, Italy — a province and the capital in Emilia-Romagna in
northeastern Italy, northeast of Florence near the Adriatic Sea.
RED SEA — a narrow sea separating Africa and Arabia, between the Gulf
of Suez and the Gulf of A qaba.
RHODES - the largest island in the Greek Dodecanese or Sporades
archipelago, in the A egean Sea close to Turkey, its capital city of R hodes was
the site of the Colossus of R hodes, one of the seven wonders of antiquity.
ROME, ROMAN — capital of the Roman Empire and now of Italy, in
central Italy on the Tiber River; initially a ford across the Tiber between
Etruria and Latium. The seven hills of Rome are the Capitoiine, the Quirinai,
the Viminal, the Esquiline, the Caelian, the Aventine and the Palatine, Rome is
surrounded by the plains of the C ampagna.
SALAMINE, in Cyprus — a Cyprian city in the middle of the east coast,
north of the river Pediaeus.
SAMIA — a town of Elis in the district Triphylia, south of Olympia,
between L epreum and the A Ipheus.
SAMPHARITICI — Sampha was a town in Phonecia.
SAMOTHRACE, SAMOTHRACIA — a Greek island in the north A egean Sea,
near the Gulf of Saros in Thrace, now called Samothraki.
santonicum in Sardonis — the Santoni or Santones were a celtic people.
See Sardonis.
SARACENIAN, SARACEN — Saracen was a Graeco-Roman name for the
nomadic peoples of the Syrian and Arabian deserts, the Arabs.
SARDIA, SARDINIA — Sardi is Sardinia, a large island in the
Mediterranean, west of the Italian peninsula and south of Corsica, first
colonized by Phoenicians, then Carthaginians, and later the Romans.
SARDIS — capital city of Lydia, Asia Minor, at the north base of Mount
T mol us, northeast of Smyrna (Izmir), in the valley of the Hermus ( Gediz ) River.
See Philadelphia.
sardonis, in Galatia — Sardoum or Sardonicum mare, part of the
Mediterranean on the west and south of Sardinia. See Galatia.
lxxvi
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
scios, in the A egean Sea — see Chios.
SCYTHIA, near the river PONTUS — In Dioscorides' time Scythia was the
country south of the Danube delta in modern Romania now called the
Dobruja. Its inhabitants were the Scythae or Scythians. After 395CE the
northern province of the diocese of Thrace in Greece was called Scythia.
Pontus was on the southern shore of the Black Sea.
SELEUCIA, near Syria — Sdeuc/a-on-Tigris in Mesopotamia was the
capital of the Syrian Seleucid Empire, at one time stretching from Asia Minor
to north India; the Romans divided Seleucid Syria into three kingdoms, and
established several Roman provinces including Seleucid Mesopotamia.
SELINUS, SELINUSIAN — a Greek city, now in ruins, near Castelv&rano on
the southwest coast of Sicily.
SICILIA, SICILY, AGRIGENTINES — a Mediterranean island near the
southwest tip of the Italian peninsula, with the Straits of M essina separating
it from Italy, and Tunisia in the southwest. Sicily was Rome's first colony.
Agrigento is a province of Sicily.
SICYONIA — a small district in the northeast of Peloponnesus,
surrounded by Corinth, Achaia, Phlius, Cieonae, and the Corinthian gulf.
SIDON — a port on the Mediterranean in southwest Lebanon, south of
Beirut and north of Tyre.
SINOPE — now the city of Sinop in Turkey, on the southern shore of the
E uxine Sea (Black Sea).
SMYRNA — a major port in Turkey now called Izmir, on the A egean coast
of Ionia, Asia Minor.
SOLIS, a hill — Solois, M ons Solis, a promontory on the southwest coast of
M auretania.
SPAIN - a country in southwest Europe occupying most of the Iberian
Peninsula, surrounded by the Bay of Biscay, the Pyrenees Mountains,
France, the Mediterranean, the Straits of Gibraltar, Portugal, and the Atlantic
Ocean; called H ispaniae by the Romans.
STOECHADES — see G alatia, Islands of.
SYRIA — Greater Syria stretched from the Taurus Mountains to the Sinai
Desert, including modern Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and parts of Turkey
and Iraq.
TAPHOSIRIS, in Egypt — a city of lower Egypt, on the northwest frontier,
in the Lybia N omos, near A lexandria.
TARENTUM, TARANTO — founded by Spartans as Taras, a city and
province in A puli a, southeast Italy, in the Gulf of T aranto.
TAURUS MOUNTAINS, in Cappadocia — part of the Alpine mountain
system of Eurasia stretching from the Greek Pindus Mountains to the Iranian
Zagros Mountains. See Cappadocia.
THABANA, GALILEE — T habor, T abor, or A tabyrium, an isolated mountain
east of the plain of E sdrael on in G alilee. G ali lee in Palestine (Israel), west of the
River Jordan, stretches from H aifa and the Plain of Esdraelon, to Lebanon. It
was a Roman tetrarchate ruled by the Herods.
THAPSUS, an island — a city on the east coast of Sicily on a peninsula of
the same name. Also a city on the east coast of Byzacena, in A frica Propria.
THASSOS, THASIAN — an island in the north A egean Sea off the coast of
T hr ace (Greek M acedonia), across the T hassos Straits from N eapolis (K aval a) on
the mainland, now called T hasos.
THEBES, in Egypt (THEBAN, THEBAICAN) - the Egyptian city of Waset, later
called Thebes by the Greeks, after their own Thebes in Boeotia, it lies on the
banks of the Nile River south of Cairo.
THESSALY, THESSALIA, near the river Peneus — Thessaly was part of
ancient Greece on the east coast, surrounded by M acedonia, Epirus, Doris,
Locris and the Aegean Sea. The Peneus River ( Pineios ), rising in the Pindus
Mountains to the west, flows through Larissa and 7 Gripe into the Thermaic
Gulf in the A egean Sea.
THRACE, by the river Strimon, THRACIAN — Thrace (now Macedonian
Greece) is the ancient name of the Balkan area south of the Danube River,
lxxvii
GAZETTEER OF DIOSCORIDES' WORLD
west of the Black Sea, east of the Strimon River and north of the A egean Sea.
The Strimon River (also called Strymon, and now Strum), rising in the
mountains of western Bulgaria, flows south through T hr ace to the Gulf of
Strimon in the A egean Sea.
thuscan — see Etruria.
TMOLUS, a hill in Libya near MAURETANIA — T mol US is a mountain near
Sardis, capital city of Lydia in Asia Minor, northeast of Smyrna (now Izmur).
M auretania, the Roman province of M auretania T ingitana, named after T ingis
(Tangier), included northwest modern Morocco and west Algeria (N u midi a).
It was later extended to the Bou R egreg River at Sale, with its capital the city of
Volubilis. See Sardis.
TRALLES — flourishing merchant city in Asia Minor on the south foot of
Mount M essogis, on the River Eudon. Also called Anthea, Seleucia, and
Antiochia. There was also a city called T ralles in Phrygia.
TROY, TROJAN — a settlement in Asia Minor three miles inland on the
northwest Aegean coast, near the mouth of the H ellespont. Also called Ili os,
I lion, or / Hum, it was the site of the Trojan War. Nine settlements were built in
turn upon the ruins of former settlements, but it lost imprtance with the
growth of Constantinople.
tyrrhenia — see Etruria.
VESTINUM, VESTIN MOUNTAINS — the Vestini were a Sabellian people
living in central Italy between the Appenines and the Adriatic Sea, near the
rivers M atrius and A tern us.
ZACYNTHUS — the most southerly Greek island in the Ionian Sea, ten
miles west of Elis in the Peloponnesos, also called Zante or Zakinthos, and
settled in ancient times by Arcadians.
ZOROASTRIAN, ZOROASTRES — also called Mazdaism, a religion founded
in the eighth or seventh century BCE by a reformer of the Iranian religion. He
was known as Zarathushtra (in Greek, Zoroaster).
lxxviii
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
1-1. IRIS
SUGGESTED: Iris germanica [Fuchs, Brunfels, Linnaeus]
Iris vulgaris Germanica sivesylvestris [Bauhin]
— German Iris, Blue Flower de Luce, Flowering Ring
PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY
I ris is named because of its resemblance to the rainbow
in heaven. It bears leaves like little daggers but bigger,
broader and fatter [or thicker]: the flowers on the stalk
are bent in one over against another and have varied
colours for they are white, pale, black, purple or azure
[blue]. It is because of the variety of colours that it is
compared to the heavenly rainbow. The roots
underneath are knotty and strong [or sound] with a
sweet taste. These when cut should be dried in the shade
and stored with a linen thread put through them. The
best is from Illyria and Macedonia and the best of these
has a thick stumpy root, hard to break, of a faint yellow
colour with an especially good scent and very bitter to the
taste. It has a sound smell and does not incline to
nastiness or cause sneezing when pounded. The second
is from Libya. It is white in colour, bitter to the taste, next
in strength (to the former), and when these grow old they
are worm-eaten yet then they smell even sweeter.
They are all warming and reduce the intensity of
symptoms. They are suitable against coughs and reduce
the intensity of thick mucus that is hard to get up. Seven
teaspoonfuls of a decoction (taken as a drink in honey
water) purge thick mucus and bile. They also cause sleep,
provoke tears, and heal suffering in the bowels. Taken as
a drink with vinegar they help those bitten by venomous
creatures, the splenetic, those troubled with convulsive
fits or chilled and stiff with cold, and those who drop
their food. Taken in a drink with wine they bring out the
menstrual flow. A decoction of them is suitable for
women's warm packs that soften and open their private
places; for sciatica (taken as an infusion); for fistulas, and
all sores and wounds that it fill s up with flesh. Applied as
an eye salve with honey they draw out particles. Chewed
1
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
and applied as a poultice they soften swellings and old
hard swellings, and dried they fill up ulcers and clean
them. With honey they fill up bare bones with flesh. They
are good for headaches applied as a poultice with vinegar
and rosaceum [1-53]. Daubed on with white hellebore and
twice as much honey they clean off freckles and sunburn.
They are also mixed with suppositories, warm
compresses and fatigue removers, and in general they are
of considerable use. This is also called iris illyrica, thelpida,
urania, catharon, or thaumastos; the Romans call it radix
marica, some, gladiolus, others, opertritis or consecratrix,
and the Egyptians call it nar.
1-2. AKORON
suggested: A corum officinarum, Gladiolus luteus [Fuchs,
Brunfels], A corus adulterinus [Bauhin], Iris pseudacorus
[Linnaeus] — Yellow Flag, Water Flag
[other usage] A corus calamus, A corus aromaticus,
A corus odoratus — Sweet Flag, Sweet Sedge, Myrtle Sedge
see 1-17, 1-114 — calamus
corum has leaves which resemble those of iris very
L JLmuch only narrower, and the roots are similar only
one wrapped in the other, not growing downward but
sidelong in the upper part of the earth. They are sharp to
the taste, distinguished by pale white knots, and not
unpleasant to smell. The best is thick and white, not
worm-eaten, full and fragrant. Root such as this comes
from Colchis and from Galatia and is called asplenium.
The root is heating and a decoction of it (taken as a
drink) causes an urge to urinate. It is good for pain of the
rectum, chest and liver; and for griping, hernia and
convulsions. It reduces the spleen, and it helps those sick
with dripping mucus, and those poisoned by animal
bites. It is effective in a hip bath like iris for female
problems. The juice of the root cleans off things that
darken the pupils of the eyes. The root of it is also
effective mixed with antidotes. It is also called chorus,
aphrodisia or the mariner's root; the Romans call it venerea,
and the Gauls call it the pepper of bees, piper apum.
2
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Iris germanica
after FAGUET — 1891
3
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
Gladiolus lutcus^uel Acorus
uulgaris*
Cccl SdJxpcrteL
.. .. v »>-* ..'j o
-»A
4
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-3. MEON
suggested: Daucus creticus, Tordylon , Seseli creticum [Fuchs],
A themanta meum [Linnaeus], A ethusa meum,
M eum athemanticum [in Sprague], A themanticum meum,
Seseli meum — Bald-money, Meu, Spignel, Bear Root
see 3-63
T he meum which is called athamanticum grows
abundantly in Macedonia and Spain, and is similar in
the stalk and leaves to anethum [3-67], but thicker than
anethum, sometimes rising up to two feet, scattered
underneath with thin, winding, straight, long roots,
smelling sweet and warming the tongue. The roots
(boiled with water or pounded smooth [or fine] without
boiling and taken in a drink) lessen pains caused by
obstructions around the bladder and kidneys. They are
good for urinary difficulties, a gas-filled stomach,
griping, diseases of the womb and pain in the joints.
Pounded into small pieces with honey and taken as
syrup they help a rheumatic chest; boiled for a hip bath
they draw out the blood of the menstrual flow. Applied
as a plaster to the lower part of children's bellies they
induce the movement of urine. If more of a decoction
than is suitable is taken as a drink it causes a headache.
1-4. KUPEIROS
suggested: Cyperus [Fuchs], Cyperus odoratus radicelonga,
Cyperus officinarum [Bauhin], Cyperus longus [Linnaeus]
Cyperus escu/entis, Cyperus officinal is, Cyperus olivaris,
Cyperus radicosus, Cyperus hydra — Yellow Nutsedge,
Earth Almond, Edible Cyperus, Rush Nut
C yperus has leaves like porrum [2-179] but longer and
more slender; and a stalk of a foot high or higher
with corners like j uncus odoratus [4-52, 1-16] on the top of
which there emerge little leaves and seed. Use has been
made of the roots of this for as long as the use of the olive.
They lie underneath, adhering together — round, black,
smelling good, bitter. It grows in clay or shale places as
well as marshy. The best is heaviest — thick, full, hard to
break, rough with a particular sharpness, such as the
Silician and Syrian, and that from the Cycladean Islands.
5
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
It is warming, dilates the narrow openings of blood
vessels and is diuretic. A decoction (taken as a drink)
helps those troubled with stones [urinary, kidney] and
dropsy and also those bitten by scorpions. Applied as a
warm pack it is good for chills of the vulva and its
obstruction, drawing down the menstrual flow. Dried
and pounded to powder it is good for an ulcerous mouth,
even though the ulcers are erosive. It is mixed with warm
compresses for heating, and is effective for thickening
ointments. Some speak also of another kind of cyperus,
like ginger, which grows in India, which when chewed is
found to taste bitter like saffron. Applied as an ointment it
presently removes hair [depilatory]. The Romans call it
the root of the bulrush, others the bulrush. Some call
cyperus, as well as aspalathus [1-19], by the name of
erysisceptrum.
1-5. KARDAMOMON
suggested: A momum cardamom — Cardamom
see 1-14
T he best cardamomum is brought out of Comagene,
Armenia and Bosporus. It grows too in India and
Arabia. Choose that which is hard to break, full, tightly
shut (for that which is not is out of date), and which also
has an offensive smell, and is sharp to the taste and
somewhat bitter.
A decoction (taken as a drink with water) is able to
heat. It is good for those who have illness comitralis
[possibly from comites — veins, arteries adjacent to nerves
— mitralism — lesions on the heart], coughs, sciatica,
paralysis, hernias, convulsions and griping, and it expels
rectal worms. Taken as a drink with wine it is good for
those who have defective kidneys and difficulty meiendi
[urination]. It is also good for one who has been stricken
by a scorpion and for all those hurt by the venom of other
creatures. A teaspoonful (taken as a drink with bark from
the roots of bay) breaks stones [kidney, urinary]. Taken as
inhalations of smoke or fumes it is an abortifacient, and
daubed on with vinegar it takes away parasitic skin
diseases. It is also mixed in thick ointments and other
antidotes.
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Cypertis*
ttMfcer ©atcfait
7
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
4 9G PhutmficTare*
(Scmeiti Bafcnojt*
8
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-6. NARDOS
suggested: Phu germanicum, Valeriana vulgaris,
Phu vulgare [Fuchs], Valeri ana sylvestris major [Bauhin],
Valeriana officinalis [Linnaeus] — Valerian [Mabberley]
J ataman si, N ardostachys j ataman si, Valeriana spica,
Valeriana jatamansi — Nardus, Spikenard, Indian Valerian,
Nard
T here are two kinds of nardus. The one is called Indian,
the other Syrian. Not that it is found in Syria, but
because one part of the mountain where it grows turns
towards Syria and the other towards India. Of that which
is called Syrian the best is new, smooth, full of filaments, a
yellow colour, very fragrant, and resembles Cyprus [1-124]
in the smell. It has a short ear, a bitter taste, and is very
drying to the tongue, its sweet smell lasting a long time.
Of the Indian, one kind is called Gangetic from a certain
river named Ganges running by the hill where it grows. It
is somewhat weaker in strength because it comes out of
watery places. It is higher and has more ears coming out
of the same root, both full of filaments, and one wrapped
in the other, with a poisonous smell. That which grows
more on the hill is a great deal sweeter, short-eared,
resembling Cyprus [1-124] in the sweetness of its smell,
and having other qualities in it, like that which is
surnamed the Syrian nardus. There is also another kind of
nardus called Sampharitic from the name of the place —
very little, yet great-eared, with a white stalk sometimes
growing in the middle, very much like the smell of a goat
in scent. This ought utterly to be refused. It is also sold
infused which fault is found out as follows: that the ear of
it is white, withered, and with down on it. They
adulterate it by blowing stibium [trisulphide of antimony
or black antimony] with water or date wine into it to
make it denser, and so that it may be heavier.
When you are to use it, if any dirt sticks to the roots of
it you are to take it off and sift it, separating the dust,
which is good to make washing water for the hands. The
roots are warming, drying and uretic, as a result (taken as
a drink) they stop the bowels. Applied they stop
discharges of the womb and the whites [leucorrhoea, a
mucosal vaginal discharge]. A decoction (taken as a drink
with cold water) helps nausea and stomach rosiones
9
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
[gnawing corrosion], those troubled with wind, sickness
of the liver or head, and painful kidneys. Boiled in water
and given either as a warm pack or hip bath they heal
inflammation of the vulva. They are good for superfluous
fluids of the eyelids, drying and thickening them. For
moist bodies a sprinkling is effective to take away the
smell of sweat. They are mixed with antidotes. Ground
smooth and made into balls with wine, they are stored for
eye medicines in a new jar, which has not been smeared
with pitch.
1-7. NARDOS KELTIKE
suggested: Valeriana celticus, Nardus ce/ticus
— Celtic Spikenard, Celtic Valerian
T he Celtic nard grows on the Alps of Liguria in that
country called Gallica. It also grows in Istria. It is a
little short shrub that is gathered together with the roots
and made up into hand bundles. It has somewhat long
leaves of a pale yellow with a yellow flower. Use is only
made of the stalks and roots and the sweet smell is only
from them. As a result (having the day before sprinkled
the bindings with water and taken off the earthy stuff),
you ought to lay them in a more moist ground (having
first laid paper under them), and the next day you ought
to make them clean again, together with the chaff and
strange stuff, for that which is good in it is not taken away
by the strength of the moisture. This herb is often
counterfeited by another herb like it gathered together
with it which because of the poisonous smell that it has
they call the goat, but the difference is easily known for
this herb is without a stalk, whiter, and with shorter
leaves, neither has it a bitter or sweet-smelling root as in
the true nardus.
Choose the little stalks and the roots but throw away
the leaves. If you will put them in storage you must first
have them ground smooth and mixed with wine. Then
make them into little balls and keep them in new ceramic
bottles, corking them carefully. The best is new, fragrant,
full of roots, plump and not easily broken. It is good for
the same things as the Syrian but it is more diuretic and
better for stomach disorders. Taken as a drink with a
decoction of wormwood [3-26] it helps inflammation of
10
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
11
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
12
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
the liver, jaundice, and gas-filled intestines. In the same
way it is good for the spleen, bladder and kidneys, as well
as mixed with wine for bites of venomous creatures. It is
used in warm compresses, liquid medicines and
warming ointments.
1-8. NARDOS OREINE
suggested: Valeriana dioica — Marsh Valerian
M ountain nardus (which is called thylacitis and nevis
by some) grows in Cilicia and Syria. It has stalks
and leaves like eryngium but smaller, yet not sharp and
prickly. The two or more roots that lie underneath are
black and fragrant like asphodelus, but thinner and a great
deal smaller. It does not have a stalk, fruit or flower for
any long time. The root is good for the same things as the
Celtic nardus [1-7].
1-9. ASARON
suggested: Asarum europaeum — Asarabacca, Cabaret,
Wild Nard, Hazelwort
POISONOUS
A sarum has leaves like cissus but much thicker and
rounder, with a flower between the leaves near the
root that is an azure [blue] colour like cytinus [1-127] or
hyoscyamus [4-69], in which lies seed like the kernels of
grapes. The many roots underneath smell like cinnamon.
It loves rough, dry ground. The root of this helps hernia,
convulsions, old coughs, difficulty in breathing, and
difficulty in urinating. It expels the menstrual flow, and
taken as a drink with wine it is good for those poisoned
by animal bites. The leaves are astringent, and are
applied to help inflammation, pains in the head, new
ulcers of the eyes, breasts inflamed after childbearing and
erysipela [inflammatory skin disease]. The smell induces
sleep. Crateuas the herbalist concurs. Many roots lie
underneath — knotty, slender and crooked like grasses,
yet a great deal slenderer and smelling good, heating,
and biting the tongue considerably. They are diuretic and
warming. They cause vomiting and are good for dropsy
13
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
and obstinate ischuria [hip pains? — urine retention?],
and they bring down the menstrual flow. Six
teaspoonfuls of the roots (taken as a drink with honey
and water) purge like white hellebore. They are mixed
with ointments. It grows on shady mountains and is
common in Pontus, Phrygia, Illyricum and Vestinum,
Italy. It is also called nardus sylvestris, the Magi call it
sanguis martis, the Osthenes, thesa, the Egyptians, cereera,
the Romans, perpensa. It is also called baccharis, the
Thuscans (or Etruscans) call it SUCCinum , some call it
nardus rustica, and the Gauls call it baccar.
1-10. PHOU
suggested: Phu magnum, Valeriana maior, Phu verum [Fuchs]
Valeriana hortensis [Bauhin] Valeriana phu [Linnaeus],
Valeriana dioscorides — Phu, Cretan Spikenard,
Garden Valerian
P hu (which some also call sylvestris nardus [garden
nard]) grows in Pontus, and it has leaves much like
elaphoboscon [2-182] or hipposelinon [3-78], with a stalk of a
foot high or more — smooth, soft, inclining to a purple
colour, hollow in the middle and distinguished by knots.
The lower parts are somewhat like those of narcissus but
bigger, more tender and purple in a pale white. The root
in its upper part is about the thickness of the little finger,
and it has filaments like j uncus odoratus [4-52, 1-16] or
veratrum nigrum [4-151] that grow within one another — a
pale yellow, pleasantly-scented and resembling nardus in
its smell, with a certain poisonous kind of heaviness.
Dried and given in drinks it is warming and encourages
urine, and a decoction of it may do the same. It is good for
a painful rectum, encourages the menstrual flow, and is
mixed with antidotes. It is adulterated mixed with the
roots of ruscus [4-146] but the knowledge of this is easy —
for these are hard, not easily broken and without any
good smell.
14
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Phu nerum. 495
OMfc$
15
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
16
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-11. MALABATHRON
suggested: Trapa bi corn is — Ling Nut
T rapa bispinosa — Singhara Nut
Trapa quadrispinosa — Water Chestnut sp
Limnantheum indicum, Nymphoides indica — Water Snowflake
S ome imagine malabathrum to be the leaf of the Indian
nardus [1-6] (deceived by the similarity of the smell)
for there are many things like nardus in smell, such as phu
[1-10], asarum and neris [?4-82], But this is not so for it is a
particular herb that grows in the Indian marshes with the
leaves swimming on the water like the pal UStris lens [4-88]
in the marshes, with no root. Having gathered it they
immediately pierce it through with a linen thread, drying
it like this, and preserve it. They say that when the
summer heat dries up the water, the earth is burnt along
with the shoots of it, and unless this happens it will
spring up no more. The best is new and a pale white
inclining to blackness, hard to break, sound, biting the
nose with its smell, and the sweetness of its smell is long-
lasting. It is like nardus [1-6] in taste without any taste of
salt. That which is weak with a mouldy scent and breaks
into small pieces is worthless. It has the same properties
as nardusbut does everything more forcibly. M alabathrum
is more diuretic and better for the stomach. It helps
inflammation of the eyes pounded into small pieces,
boiled in wine, and rubbed on. It is put under the tongue
for sweetness of the breath, and it is put among cloths for
it keeps them from moths and scents them sweetly.
1-12. KASSIA
suggested: Cassia acuti folia — True Senna,
Alexandrian Senna
Cassia fistula — Purging Cassia, Golden Shower,
Indian Laburnum
Cassia an gusti folia — Indian Senna
T here are many kinds of cassia growing around Arabia
with stores of aromatic things. It has a twig with a
thick bark and leaves like pepper. Choose that which is
reddish-yellow, with a good colour, resembling coral —
very slender, long and thick, full of tubes, with a biting
17
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
taste, and astringent with considerable heat, aromatic,
and resembling wine in its smell. Such, by the inhabitants
of the country, is called dchy, and the merchants in
Alexandria call it daphnitis Above this is preferred the
black kind which is called gizir, inclining to a purple and
thick, with a smell like a rose, the most suitable of any for
bodily uses; and that formerly spoken of is next to this.
The third kind is called mosyleticus blastos. The rest are of
no account such as that which is called aphysemon — black
and unsightly and thinly- barked or having it full of
chinks — as well as that which is called kitto and dacar.
There is also a certain bastard cassia, amazingly similar,
which is found out by its taste that is neither sharp nor
aromatic, and it has bark adhering to the soft internal
tissue. There is also found a broad reed — tender, light,
full of branches — which is better than the others. Reject
that which is a pale white, coarse, smells like a goat, and
has not a thick reed but is coarse and thin. It is diuretic,
warming, drying and gently astringent. It is fit for eye
medicines that are made for clearing the sight, and for
warm compresses. It takes away freckles applied with
honey, and encourages the menstrual flow. Taken as a
drink it helps those bitten by snakes. It is good too taken
as a drink for all internal inflammation, and the kidneys;
for women too as hip baths, and as inhalations of fumes
or smoke for dilation of the uterus. If there is no
cinnamon at hand then twice as much of this mixed with
medicines will do the same things. It is very effective for
many things.
1-13. KINAMOMON
suggested: Cinnamomum zeylanicum,
Laurus cinnamomum, Persea cinnamomum — Cinnamon
Can el I a alba — Wild Cinnamon
T here are many kinds of cinnamon with several
names proper to the countries where they grow, but
the best is that which they call mosulum because in a way
it bears a similarity to that cassia which they call mosu litis.
Of this choose that which is new, black in colour,
inclining to an ash colour like that of wine, with slender
smooth shoots, full of lasting knots, especially fragrant.
For most commonly to discern which is best depends on
18
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
the sweetness of its smell. For that which is the best and
the most special has a smell resembling rue [3-52, 3-53,
4-98] or cardamom, and furthermore it is sharp and biting
to the taste, somewhat salty with heat, when rubbed not
easily made rough, and when broken downy, with
smoothness between the knots. Test it as follows by
taking a shoot from one root (for this trial is easy), for
there are some fragments mixed in, and at the first trial
the best gives off a sweet taste and fills the nose with the
scent of it and hinders discerning the worst. There is also
a mountain variety — thick, dwarfish, of a very glittering
colour. And there is a third from Mosul — black, and with
a very sweet taste, shrubby and without many knots. The
fourth kind is white, fungal, pushed up to sight, and vile
and brittle, with a great root, smelling like cassia. The fifth
sort bites the nose with its smell, is reddish-yellow, and its
bark is very like red cassia — but it is solid to the touch,
not very thin, with a thick root. Of these that which has a
smell like frankincense, cassia or amomum [1-14] is the
worst in smell. Choose that which is white, rough, and
with a coarse bark, but avoid that which is smooth and
woody around the root as useless. There is another
somewhat like it that is called bastard cinnamon — vile,
with a faint smell and weak strength. It is called ginger
xylocinn amomum [xylo — wood], having some similarity
to cinnamon. There is also woody cinnamon that has
long and strong shoots but is much inferior in sweetness
of smell. It is said by some that this xylocinn amomum
differs in kind from cinnamon having another nature.
Now all cinnamon is warming, diuretic, softening and
digestive. It draws out the menstrual flow and is an
abortifacient, taken as a drink with myrrh [1-73, 1-77,
4-116] or else applied. It is also good against beasts that
put out their poison and against deadly poisons
[antidote]. It cleans away, heats and thins pus that
darkens the pupils, and is diuretic. Rubbed on with
honey it takes away freckles and sunburn. It is good for
coughs and mucosal discharges, dropsy, diseases of the
kidneys, and difficult urination. It is mixed with precious
ointments and in general it is effective for many things. It
is prepared for storage by being pounded into small
pieces, put into wine, and dried in the shade.
19
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
1-14. AMOMON
suggested: A momum repens, Elettaria cardamomum,
A Ipina cardamom — Bastard Cardamom, Lesser Cardamom
Amomum aromaticum [Mabberley] — Bengal Cardamom
see 1-5
A momum is a little shrub winding out of the wood
within itself the same way as racemus [1-49], and it
has a little flower like that of the leu coion [3-138] but leaves
like bryonia [4-184], The best is brought out of Armenia
with a good colour, a pale reddish wood and a very
fragrant smell. Because it grows in plain and watery
places that from Media is weaker. It is large, a pale green,
soft to touch, and full of veins in the wood, resembling
origanum in its smell. That which comes from Pontus is a
pale red, neither long nor hard to break, clustered, full of
fruit, and biting to smell. Choose that which is new and
white or a faint red, not that which is close and adhering
together, but that which is loose and diffused, full of
seeds like the kernels of grapes, heavy, very fragrant,
without rottenness or mould, and sharp, biting to the
taste, a single and not many colours.
It is warming, astringent and drying. It causes sleep
and relieves pain applied as a poultice to the forehead. It
ripens and dissolves inflammation and scalded sores of
the head. It is also good for those stricken by scorpions
applied as a poultice with basil. It helps gout, and it helps
and soothes inflammation of the eyes, and those with
haemorrhoids in their bowels; and it is effective for
female problems or damage both as suppositories and
baths. The liquid medicine (taken as a drink) is good for
liver disorders, defective kidneys and gout, and it is
mixed with antidotes and the most precious ointments.
Some adulterate amomum with amomis [Amomis pimenta]
that is like amomum yet without smell and without fruit. It
grows in Armenia and has a flower like origanum. As a
rule to prevent deception avoid the fragments and
choose those that have perfect branches out of one root.
20
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-15. KOSTOS
suggested: C ostus arabicus, Costus speciosus,
Amomum hirsutum, Saussurea costus [Mabberley]
— Arabian Costus, Kust-root [Bedevian], Costus Root
Modern costus is not the same as that known by the ancients — Jaquin, in Loudon.
T he Arabic COStus is best — white and light, with a
noticeable pleasant smell; next is the Indian — full,
light and black like ferula. The third is the Syrian — heavy,
the colour of box, with a biting smell. The best is new,
white, full throughout, thick, dry, not worm-eaten, not
with a stinking smell but with a biting hot taste.
It is warming and diuretic, expels the menstrual flow,
and is good for diseases of the uterus applied in
suppositories, as irrigations [douches], or as warm packs.
Two ounces (taken in a drink) helps someone bitten by a
viper, chest conditions and convulsions. It is given for gas
in the stomach with wine and wormwood [3-26], taken
with mead [honey wine] it draws out venom, and taken
in water it draws out worms through the rectum. An
ointment of it made with oil helps those who have chills
from fever before an expected fit, and similarly helps the
paralysed. Rubbed on with water or honey it takes away
sunburn. It is also mixed in warm compresses and
antidotes. Some adulterate it by mixing in the strongest
roots of commagene [1-27]. The difference is easily
discerned. For this helenium neither burns the tongue nor
yields a pleasant, strong, biting smell.
1-16. SCHOINOS
suggested: Schoenus incanus — Bog Rush
J uncus conglomeratus, J uncus effusus — Rushes, Sweet Rushes
J uncus arabicus — Rush, Sea Rush
see schoenus 4-52
J uncus odoratus grows in Libya and Arabia and in that
part of Arabia called Nabataea, and this is the best. The
Arabic is next, but that from Libya is useless. Choose that
which is new, red, and full of flowers; which when cut or
cleft inclines to a purple colour, is thin, smells sweet like a
rose when it is rubbed between the hands, and bites the
21
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
tongue with considerable burning. Use the flower, the
reeds and the root. It is diuretic, bringing down the
menstrual flow, and dissolving gaseousness. It causes
catarrh in the head. It is mildly astringent. It has a
breaking, digesting and opening strength. The flowers of
it used in drink are good for bloody vomiting and a
painful stomach, as well as the lungs, liver and kidneys. It
is mixed with antidotes, but the root is more astringent
and therefore is given for a squeamish stomach. One
teaspoonful is good for dropsy and convulsions, and is
given for some days with the same amount of pepper. A
decoction of it as a hip bath is most convenient for
inflammation around the vulva. It is also called
Babylonian \juncus ] or teuchitis.
1-17. KALAMOS EUODES
suggested: A corus calamus, A corns aromaticus,
A corus odoratus — Sweet Flag, Sweet Sedge, Myrtle Sedge
Calamus ciliaris — Indian Palm
see 1-2, 1-114
alamus aromaticus grows in India and the best is
reddish-yellow, thick with knots, and when broken
it falls into many pieces. The reed is fibrous, somewhat
white, and slimy to chew, astringent and somewhat
sharp. Taken as a drink it is able to induce the movement
of urine. As a result it is good for dropsy, defective
kidneys, slow and painful urination and hernias, boiled
either with grapes or seeds of apium [3-77] and taken as a
drink. It draws out the menstrual flow taken as a drink
and applied. It helps coughs inhaled either alone or with
resin termininthos [1-91], the smoke taken in at the mouth
through a funnel. It is boiled for women's baths and
infusions, and mixed with warm compresses and
perfumes to make them smell sweeter.
22
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-18. BALSAMON
suggested: Opalobalsamum, Balsamodendron gileadense,
Balsamodendron opalobalsamum, Commiphora opalobalsamum,
A myris gileadensis — Balm of Gilead, Balm of Mecca
Amyris kataf, Commiphora kataf, Balsamodendron kataf
— Balsam of Kataf
T he tree balsamum is noted, similar in size to lycium
[1-132] or pyracantha [1-169, 1-170], with leaves like
rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98] but a great deal paler and much more
flourishing. It grows only in Judaea in a certain valley and
in Egypt. Varying considerably in ruggedness, tallness
and slenderness, the part of the shrub that is thin, with
filaments, is called theriston, which may be because it is
easily mowed because of its slenderness. 0 pobalsamum is
the juice exuded by the tree when it is cut with iron nails
in the heat of the hottest days. But it drops so little that
every year they can get no more than six or seven congii
[three litre units approximately] of it, and a weight of it is
sold in that place for double its weight in silver. The best
juice is new, with a strong smell, pure and not inclining to
sweetness, dissolving easily, smooth, astringent, and a
little biting to the tongue. It is prepared in various ways
for there are some who mix ointments with it such as
termininthos [1-91], cyprinum [1-65], schininum [1-90],
susinum [1-62] or liliaceum [1-62], balaninum [1-40, 4-160]
and metopium [1-71], honey, waxy ointments, myrsinum
[1-48], or very liquid cyprinum [1-65]. These are easily
discerned for if the unmixed is dropped on a woollen
cloth and afterwards washed out it makes no stain or spot
on it, but that which is counterfeited sticks. The pure
when put into water or milk is easily diffused and turns
like milk, but that which is counterfeited swims on the
top like oil, turning round or diffusing itself like a star.
But in time the pure will also turn thick and test worse
than any. Those are deceived who think that it is pure
when it is dropped into water, goes down to the bottom
first, and afterwards, easily diffusible, rises up again. The
wood is called xylobalsamum and the best liked is new
with slender stalks — red, sweet smelling, with a smell
somewhat resembling opobalsamum. Suitable use is made
of the fruit too. Choose that which is yellow, full, great,
heavy, biting in taste and hot in the mouth, somewhat
similar in taste to opobalsamum. From the town Petra a
Balsamodendron opalobalsamum
after FAGUET — 1888
23
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
seed like hypericum [3-171] is brought with which they
counterfeit this fruit. You may discover this because it is
bigger, and empty with no strength, and tastes of pepper.
The juice has the most strength as it heats the most,
cleaning away things that darken the pupils, and curing
abrasions around the vulva applied with waxy ointments
and rosaceum [1-53]. It expels the menstrual flow and the
afterbirth, is an abortifacient, and rubbed on dissolves
chills and the filthy matter of boils. Taken as a drink it is a
concoction for rejuvenation and moving urine. Given
with milk it is also good for difficult breathers and those
who have taken a drink of aconitum [4-77, 4-78]; also for
those bitten by snakes. It is mixed with fatigue removers,
warm compresses and antidotes. Generally the juice of
the balsamum has the most strength, next to that the fruit,
but the wood has the least strength of all. Taken in a drink
the fruit is good for pleurisy, pneumonia, coughs,
sciatica, epilepsy, vertigo, asthma, griping, difficulty in
conception, and for those bitten by snakes. It is suitable
for women's inhalations in fumes, and boiled for hip
baths it opens the vulva and extracts moisture. The wood
has the same virtues the fruit has but to a lesser degree.
Boiled in water and taken as a drink it helps in digestion,
griping, those bitten by snakes, and convulsions, and it
expels urine. With dry iris it is good for wounds in the
head. It also extracts scaly bones. It is mixed for the
thickening of ointments.
1-19. ASPALATHOS
SUGGESTED: A spalathus indica — Indian Aspalathus
A spal athus is a woody kind of shrub with many prickly
thorns — growing in Istrus, Nisyrus, Syria and
Rhodes — which the ointment makers use for thickening
their ointments. The best is heavy, and after it has been
harvested inclining to a red or a purple colour, thick,
fragrant, and bitter to the taste. There is also another kind
of it with scattered bristles or thorns — white, woody,
without any smell — which is considered the worst. It has
a heating and astringent quality. As a result, boiled in
wine and gargled, it is good for an ulcerated mouth and
gangrenous ulceration in the genitals. It is infused for
unclean discharges and fetid nasal discharges; and put
24
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
92 Lupus falic'larius.
25
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
Croci folia. Crociflores, 249
blmcr. 6 *(f«it blumcn .
26
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
into a pessary it is an abortifacient. A decoction stops
bowels, and taken as a drink it stops bloody vomiting,
and dissolves painful urination and gaseousness. It is also
called sphagnon, or phasganon, the Syrians call it diaxylon,
and some, erysisceptron.
1-20. BRUON
suggested: Lupus salictari us, Lupulus,
H umulus [Fuchs, Brunfels], Lupulus mas [Bauhin],
H umulus lupulus [Linnaeus] — Hops
Splachnum and Bryum have been used to name various mosses in modern times
[Loudon].
B ryum is sometimes called splanchnon. It is found on
trees such as cedars, white poplars or oaks: the best
grows on cedar, next is that which grows on white
poplar. That which smells sweetest and is white is the
best, but that which is black is the worst. Bryum is
astringent. Used either hot or cold it is good in decoctions
made for all those disorders requiring bathing around the
vulva. It is mixed with ointments made for suppositories,
with other ointments for the astringent quality in it, for
the preparation of perfumes, and is put into medicines
called acopi [to remove fatigue].
1-21. AGALLOCHON
suggested: A qu'Uaria agallocha , Cynometra agallocha,
A loexylon agallochum — Agallochum, Indian Aloe Tree,
Calambac Tree
A qu it aria malaccensis — Eagle-wood — Agallochum
fragrant resinous heartwood
A gallochum is a kind of wood like thyine wood that is
brought out of India and Arabia distinguished by
spots of a sweet scent, somewhat astringent to the taste,
with some bitterness, and bark like soft skin somewhat
over-coloured.
When it is chewed and a decoction of it is gargled up
and down in the mouth it causes sweet breath. The
powder sprinkled on the whole body serves to deodorise
it. It is used in perfumes instead of frankincense. One
teaspoonful of the roots (taken in a drink) lessens moist
A quilaria malaccensis
after FAGUET — 1888
27
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
disorders of the stomach, its weakness and heat. It is good
taken as a drink with water for those who have pains of
the rectum, for the liver, dysentery and griping.
1-22. NASKAPHTHON
UNKNOWN
nasceus— nascor — plants used by women
N ascaphthum some call narcaphthon and this is also
brought out of India. It is a bark like the rind of the
mulberry tree, used for a perfume for the sweet smell it
has, and put into artificial perfumes. Taken as inhalations
of fumes or smoke it is good for constriction of the vulva.
1-23. KANKAMON
suggested: A myris ambroisiaca, Protium icicaraba,
Idea icicarabica — Gum Elemi Tree
C ancamum is the oozing of an Arabic tree resembling
myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116], poisonous to the taste,
which they use as a perfume. They make a perfume with
it for their cloths with myrrh and styrax. It is reported to
be able to make fat bodies lean — a half teaspoonful taken
as a drink with water or vinegar and honey for many
consecutive days. It is given to the splenetic, epileptic and
asthmatic. Taken with honey and water it brings down
the menstrual flow, and it quickly takes off scars in the
eyes and heals their moisture diluted in wine. For gums
rotten from moisture and toothache it helps as nothing
else can do.
1-24. KUPHI
Cyphi — a perfume
C yphi is the composition of a perfume welcome to the
Gods. The priests in Egypt use it abundantly. It is
also mixed with antidotes and it is given to the asthmatic
in drinks. There are many ways that the manufacture of it
is carried out, including the following. Take one litre of
Cyprus [1-124], the same amount of ripe juniper berries.
28
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
six kilos of stoned plump raisins of the sun, two and a half
kilos of resin (cleaned again), a half kilo each of calamus
aromaticus [1-2, 1-17, 1-114], aspalathus [1-19] and juncus
odoratus [4-52, 1-16], twelve teaspoonfuls of myrrh [1-77,
1-73, 4-116], five litres of old wine and one kilo of honey.
Having removed the stones from the raisins pound them
and work them together with the wine and myrrh.
Pound and sift the other things, mix them with these, and
let them drink up the liquid for one day. Afterwards boil
the honey until it comes to a glutinous consistency, mix
the melted resin carefully with it, and then having
pounded all the other things diligently together, put
them into a clay jar.
1-25. KROKOS
suggested: Croci flores et folia [Fuchs], Crocus sativus
[Bauhin], Crocus sativus var officinalis [Linnaeus]
— Saffron Crocus
C orycian crocum is the best for bodily use — new and
well-coloured, having somewhat white tendrils,
somewhat long, having all its parts hard to break,
without fat, full, colouring the hands, not decayed or
moist, alluring in scent and a little sharper; for that which
is not such is either old or steeped. The next best after the
Corycian comes from that tract of land near Lycia; and
that from Olympus [a mountain] in Lycia; then that from
Aegis Aetolia. But the Cyrenaican and that from
Centuripinum are the weakest in strength of all in Sicily,
all of them being cultivated like vegetables. Nevertheless,
because it is full of juice and well coloured, they in Italy
(dying thyine wood with it) do use this, and for this it is
sold at a high rate. For medicine, that which was
previously described is more effective. It is adulterated
with a mixture of crogomagma [1-26] pounded or daubed
with sapa [syrup of new wine], lithargyrum [5-102] or
plumbago [5-100] pounded together with it to make it
weigh more. All this is discerned by the dustiness that is
found amongst it, and by the smell of the boiled down
new wine it has.
It is digestive, softening, somewhat astringent and
diuretic. It causes a good colour, and it is good taken as a
drink with passum [raisin wine] against overindulgence.
29
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
It stops excessive discharges of the eyes applied with
woman's milk. It is effective mixed with drinks that are
taken internally, and with suppositories and poultices for
the uterus and the perineum. It works against venereal
diseases, and rubbed on it soothes inflammation that
accompanies erysipelas [a skin inflammation], and it is
good for inflammations of the ears. They say also that it
will kill one if three teaspoonfuls are taken as a drink with
water. In order to pound it smaller it must be dried in the
sun in a hot ceramic jar, and it must often be quickly
turned. The root of it (taken in a drink with passu m [raisin
wine]) causes an urge to urinate. It is also called castor, or
cynomorphos, and the Magi call it sanguis H erculis.
1-26. KROKOMAGMA
SUGGESTED: Crocus sativus var officinalis [Linnaeus]
— Saffron Oil Dregs
rocomagma is made from oil of saffron, the aromatic
V-^part squeezed out and made into lozenges. The best
is sweet-smelling, somewhat resembling the taste of
myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116], heavy and black, with no
woodiness in it; and which sufficiently diluted is the
colour of saffron — smooth, yellow underneath, strongly
colouring the teeth and tongue and lasting many hours
together, like that from Syria. It has the ability to clean
and cleans away things which darken the pupils. It is
diuretic, softening, digestive and warming. It somewhat
resembles the strength of saffron for it is made from this.
1-27. ELENION
suggested: Elenium, lnula,Enula campania [Fuchs],
Helenium vuigare [Bauhin], Inula helenium [Linnaeus],
Inula campana, Aster helenium, Aster officinalis
— Common Inula, Horse Elder, Elecampane
H elenium has narrow leaves like verbascum [4-104],
only sharper and somewhat long. In some places it
puts out no stalks at all. The root below is fragrant, great,
somewhat sharp, from which for planting (as in lilies or
arum) the most pleasant shoots are taken. It grows in
hilly, shady and moist places. The root is dug up in the
30
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Asarum europaeum
after FAGUET — 1888
31
BOOK ONE: AROMATICS
Cassia fistula
after FAGUET — 1888
32
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
summer, cut and dried. A decoction (taken as a drink)
induces the movement of urine and the menstrual flow.
The root itself (taken in a syrup with honey) helps
coughs, asthma, hernias, convulsions, gaseousness, and
the bites of venomous creatures, being generally
warming. The leaves boiled in wine are effectively
applied to those who have sciatica. The root is good for
the stomach preserved in passu m [raisin wine]. The
confectioners, drying it a little and afterwards boiling it,
then steep it in cold water and put it into a decoction they
keep in jars for use. Pounded and taken in a drink it is
good for bloody excretions. It is also called symphyton,
persica, medica, orestion, nectarion, c/eonia, rubus idaeus or
verbascum idaeum; the Romans call it terminalium , others,
inula cam pan a, and the Egyptians call it lone.
1-28. ELENION AIGUPTION
UNKNOWN
C rateuas mentions another helenium that grows in
Egypt. It is a herb with branches a foot long
spreading on the ground like serpyllum [3-46], its many
leaves around the branches like those of lenticule [Tlentil]
but longer; the roots a pale colour, the thickness of the
little finger, thin below but thicker above, with a black
rind. It grows in places bordering on the sea and on
hillocks and rocks. One root of it (taken in a drink with
wine) is able to help those bitten by snakes.
Inula helenium
after THIEBAULT — 1888
33
OILS
OILS
1-29. ELAION OMOTRIBES
suggested: 0 lea europaea, Oleasativa, Olea lancifola
— New Oil from Unripe Olives
O il from unripe olives is the best to use for health.
The best is considered that which is new, not biting,
with a sweet smell. This is also effective for the
preparation of ointments. It is also good for the stomach
because it is therapeutic for the bowels, and when held in
the mouth it contracts loose gums, strengthens the teeth
and represses sweating.
1-30. ELAION KOINON
suggested: 0 lea europaea — Old Olive Oil
T hat which is the oldest and most fat is the most fit for
bodily uses. Commonly all oil is warming and softens
flesh, keeping the body from being easily chilled with
cold, making it more ready to perform actions. It is good
for the digestive system, and has a softening strength,
dulling the strength of ulcerating medicines in mixtures.
It is given against poisons, taken immediately and
vomited up again. A half-pint purges, taken as a drink
with the same amount of barley water or with water. Six
glassfuls (boiled with rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98] and taken as a
drink) are given effectively to those troubled with
griping, and it expels worms. This is administered
especially for obstruction of the intestines, but the older
oil is more heating and violently dispersing. It is a good
ointment to sharpen the eyesight. If there is no old oil at
hand, new oil must be mixed as follows. Pour it out into
the best jar at hand, and boil it until it is the thickness of
honey. Then use it, for it is has an equal strength.
34
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-31. ELAION AGRIAS ELAIAS
suggested: 0 lea sylvestris, 0 lea sylvestris var oleaster
— Wild Olive Oil
O il from the wild olive is more astringent and the
second choice for good health. It is convenient
instead of rosaceum [1-53] for headaches, and stops
sweating and hair falling out [alopecia]. It cleans off
dandruff, ulcers that penetrate the head, parasitic skin
diseases, and psoriasis, and it keeps grey hair away for a
long time from those who are rubbed with it daily.
1-32. ELAION LEUKON
To Whiten Oil
O il is made white as follows. Taking oil which is a
clear colour and not over a year old, pour it out into
a new broad-mouthed ceramic jar. Let there be an
amount of fifty pints. Afterwards, placing it in the sun,
pour it back again with a spoon every day around noon,
letting it fall down from on high, so that it may be altered
by frequent rolling and beating, and foam. Then on the
eighth day steep fifty teaspoonfuls of clean fenugreek in
warm water, put it thus softened into the former oil
without straining out the water. Also add the same
weight of pinewood now (as fat as may be and cut into
small pieces), and let eight more days pass. After this time
stir the oil up and down again with a spoon. Finally, if it is
white, pour it out into a new jar (first rinsed around with
old wine) and store it, having first scattered in eleven
teaspoonfuls of the corolla of melilot flowers [3-48] and
the same amount of iris. If it is not (yet white) it must be
set out again in the sun and treated until it becomes
white.
1-33. ELAION SIKUONION
suggested: 0 lea europaea, Olea sativa, 0 lea lancifola,
Sicyonium — Sicyonian Oil
W e may prepare Sicyonian olive oil as follows. Pour
out four and a half litres of new unripe olive oil
35
OILS
and the white oil [above] into a broad-mouthed kettle
covered with tin, add two and a quarter litres of water,
and boil it over a gentle fire stirring softly. When it has
boiled up twice take it away from the fire, and having
cooled it, skim off the oil with a spoon. Afterwards add
other water, boil it again, and repeat the procedure, and
then store it. This oil is mostly made in Sicyonia and is
therefore called sicyonium. It is somewhat warming,
suitable for fevers and affected nerves. Women use it to
have a clean skin.
1-34. RUPOS
Grime from the baths
T he scrapings which are taken up in public baths are
able to heat, soften, and disperse fluids, and are good
for splits in the perineum, and for rubbing on joints.
1-35. RUPOS PALAISTRA
Grime from the wrestling school
T he dirt or filth from the wrestling school helps the
joints, applied as a warm compress.
1-36. RUPOS GYMNASION
Grime from the gymnasium walls
T he filth on the walls of the gymnasium (or that which
is scraped off from statues) warms and dissolves
tubercles [growths] that ripen only with difficulty, and it is
helpful for abrasions, the removal of scaliness, and old
ulcers.
36
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-37. ELAIOMELI
suggested: 0 lea sylvestris, 0 lea sylvestris var oleaster
— Wild Olive Oil
E laeagnus angusti folia — Oleaster, Oil Tree,
Zakkoum Oil Plant
Elaeis guineensis — Oil Palm
Elaeomeli [Pliny] — 0 lea europaea
— Manna exuded from the branches of the Olive tree
Elaeoptene is the liquid part of a volatile oil, Stearoptene the solid part of a volatile
oil, a camphor.
E laeomeli flows out of a certain stem and root of a plant
growing in Palmyra, a region of Syria, more thick
than honey and sweet in taste, which (taken as a drink of
two cups to one half-pint of water) drives dyspepsia and
bilious fluids out through the bowels. Those who take it
become sluggish and deficient in virility, but this should
not disturb us. They are to be kept awake and not
allowed to be overcome by too deep a sleep.
Oil is also prepared from the fat of the young olive
shoots, the old oil being best — thick, fat, not cloudy. It
warms, and is effective rubbed on for those things that
darken the pupils, and daubed on is good for leprosy and
painful nerves.
1-38. KIKINON ELAION
suggested: Ricinus [Fuchs], Ricinus vulgaris [Bauhin],
R icinis communis [Linnaeus] — Castor Oil Plant,
Palma Christi
[other usage] Croton Oil Plant, Purging Croton, Tiglium
— Croton tiglium, Croton acutus, Croton jamalgota, Pavana,
Tiglium officinalis
see 4-164
C icinum is prepared as follows. Take ripe cicinum
seeds (as much as you think suitable) and dry them
in the sun, scattering them along as they used to do
grapes until the bark that closes them in when broken
apart falls off; then gathering the flesh or pulp together
put it into a mortar, and having pounded it carefully put
it into a kettle with a tin cover that has water in it, and
R icinis communis
after FAGUET — 1888
37
OILS
placing fire underneath, make it boil. When you have
removed all the moisture, take the kettle from the fire and
collect the oil that swims on top with a spoon and bottle
it. Because the Egyptians use it in great abundance they
prepare it differently. After they have picked them they
place the seeds into a mill and grind them carefully; then
throwing the grinds into baskets they squeeze it out with
a press. The seeds are in season or ripe when they are rid
of the small bladders that enfold them.
This oil of cicinum is good for ulcers that penetrate the
head, parasitical skin diseases, inflammation of the
perineum, and obstructions and damage to the uterus, as
well as scars faeddS [from goring by horned animals], and
earache. Mixed with plasters it makes them more
effective. Taken as a drink it draws out watery matter
through the bowels, and it also draws out worms.
1-39. ELAION AMY GD ALIN ON
suggested: A magdalinum — M etopium — Almond Oil
— Prunus amygdalus var amara — Bitter Almond
RAW SEED OF BITTER ALMOND IS POISONOUS.
A magdalinum oil or metopium is made as follows.
Having picked and dried four quarts of bitter
almonds beat them gently with a wooden pestle in a
mortar until they are pulped. Pour on them one pint of
hot water and let them absorb it for half an hour, from
which time beat it strongly again. Then press it on a
board, squeeze it out, and take that which sticks to your
fingers into a spoon. Afterwards pour a half-pint of water
into that which was squeezed out, and allow it to be
absorbed, and repeat as before. Four quarts of seeds make
one half-pint of oil. It is effective against womb pains,
constriction, the womb turning around, and things that
darken the same places, as well as headaches, ear
problems, resonance, and tinnitus. It helps inflammation
of the kidneys, illness meientes [urination], stones
[urinary, kidney], asthma and splenitis. Furthermore it
removes spots from the face, sunburn, and wrinkles on
the skin mixed with honey, the root of lily and Cyprian
rosewax. With wine it mends moisture of the pupils of
the eye, and removes penetrative ulcers and dandruff.
38
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Ricinis communis
after FAGUET — 1888
39
OILS
)7i Raphanus /atoms,
Rfttidf.
40
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-40. BALANINON ELAION
suggested: M yroba/an citrina,Terminalia citrina
— Hara Nut Tree
Q uercus infectoria, Q uercus lusitanica — Acorns from Quercus
species — Gall Oak, Dyer's Oak, Nut Gall Oak
Balanites aegyptica,Xymenia aegyptica
— Thorn Tree, Egyptian Balsam, Zachum Oil Tree
Balanites aegyptica
after FAGUET — 1875
see 4-143, 4-160
I n the same way oil balaninum is prepared. It has
strength to clean spots, freckles, down on the face, and
darkening cataracts and it purges the intestines. It is bad
for the stomach. Poured in with goose fat it is good for
earache, ear resonance and tinnitus.
1-41. ELAION SESAMINON KAI
KARUINON
suggested: Sesamum indicum, Sesamum orientale,
Sesamum oleiferum — Sesame Oil, Sesame [seeds], Gingelly,
Gingili
Carya —Juglans regia — - Walnuts
N ux pontica, N ux avellana, Corylus avellana [Linnaeus]
— Hazelnuts
B oth sesaminum and caryinum oil which is made from
carya kernels are prepared in the same way as those
mentioned above. They have the same strength as
balaninum [ 1 - 40 ].
41
OILS
1-42. UOSKUAMINON ELAION
suggested: Hyoscyamus flavus [Fuchs],
H yoscyamus niger [Linnaeus] — Henbane, Hen Bell,
Hyoscyamus
H yoscyamus al bus— White Henbane,
Oil of Henbane
POISONOUS
H yosciaminum is prepared as follows. Take dry new
white seed, and having pounded it steep it in hot
water as was previously described in amagdalinum [1-39].
Then place it in the sun and mix it until it turns black and
has a strong smell. Then, having strained it through a
linen cloth and having squeezed it, store it. It is good for
earaches, and is mixed with suppositories, having a
softening quality.
1-43. KNIDELAION
suggested: Gnidium, Cnidium, Daphnegnidium,
T hymelaea hirsuta — Oil from Grains, Seeds of Gnidium,
Spurge Flax
see 4-173
G nidium is prepared in the same way from rubbings
of grains [seeds] that have been pounded and
pilled. Taken as a drink it is able to loosen the bowels.
1-44. KNIKELAION
suggested: Cartamus, Crocus hortensis [Fuchs],
Carthamum officinarum, Cnicussativus [Bauhin],
Carthamus tinctorius [Linnaeus] — Safflower, Saffron Thistle
[Mabberley]
see 4-119,4-190
I n the same way cnicinum is made which has the same
uses as the oil from rubbed grain [above] but is
somewhat weaker.
42
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
EIcnnnm
2lfont.
43
OILS
44
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-45. RAPHANELAION
SUGGESTED: R adix, R adicula [Fuchs, Brunfels, Linnaeus],
R aphanus sativus — Radish Seed Oil,
Common Cultivated Radish
R aphaninum is made from its own seed, as are the rest.
It is good for those who by some sickness have got
psoriasis, and it cleans away rough skin around the face.
Those in Egypt use it, boiling it with their sauce.
1-46. MELANTHELAION
suggested: M elanthium hortenseprimum,
Schwartz Kommich [Fuchs], Nigella sativa [Linnaeus]
— Common Fennel Flower, Black Cumin
M elanthium alterum Damascenum vocatum,
N igella hortensis altera [Fuchs], N igella angusti folia [Bauhin],
N igella damascena [Linnaeus] — Love in a Mist,
Devil in a Bush
M elanthium sylvestre, Cuminum sylvestre alterum [Fuchs],
N igella arvensis [Linnaeus]
POISONOUS
M elanthium has the same uses, and is prepared like
raphaninum [1-45].
1-47. SINAPELAION
suggested: N apy , Sinapis primum genus [Fuchs],
Sinapi hortense [Brunfels], Brassica nigra,
Sinapis sinapioides, Sinapis nigra — Black Mustard
Sinapis alba [Linnaeus], Leucosinapis officinalis, Brassica alba
— White Mustard, Salad Mustard, Cultivated Mustard,
Mustard Oil
S inapi num is prepared by grinding the mustard seed
small and steeping it in warm water, then mixing the
oil with it and straining it out together. It is good for
diseases of a long duration, drawing out faulty fluids
from far within.
45
OILS
1-48. MURSINELAION
suggested: M yrtus communis var romana
— Broad-leaved Myrtle
see 1-155, 4-146, 4-165b
M yrsinum oil is prepared as follows. Take the tender
leaves of black myrtle (whether wild or planted),
beat them, pressing out the juice, then mixing the same
amount of unripe olive oil with the juice warm it over
coals until it is boiled together, spooning up that which
floats on top. An easier method of preparation is to boil
the tenderest leaves (after they have been pounded) in
water and oil, and to skim off the oil that swims on the
top. Another way is (having laid the leaves in the sun) to
steep them in oil. There are some thicken the oil first with
malicoria (?), cupressus [1-102] and juncus odoratus [4-52,
1-16],
The most effective oil inclines towards bitterness in its
taste, and is oily, green and transparent, and smells of
myrtle. It is astringent and hardening; as a result it is
effective mixed with medications for hardening. It is
good for burns, penetrative ulcers in the head, dandruff,
pimple eruptions, chapped skin, galls (?), joints, and
joints loosening. It represses sweats, and is good for all
things that need an astringent or thickening.
1-49. DAPHNELAION
suggested: Laurel Oil — Laurus-A lexandrina [Fuchs],
D aphne-A lexandrina [Brunfels], R uscus hypoglossum
[Linnaeus], Ruscus hippoglossum, U vularia, Baslingua
— Laurel of Caesar [Mabberley], Horse Tongue,
Double Tongue
Laurus nobilis — Sweet Bay, Laurel, Roman Laurel
L aurinum is made from overripe bay berries (which are
ready to fall from the tree) boiled in water, because
they send up a certain kind of fat from the husk enclosing
them, which is squeezed out by hand and scooped up in
spoons. Some first thicken oil of unripe olives with
cypress, juncus odoratus [4-52, 1-16] and calamus [1-17],
and after this (throwing in the tender leaves of bay) boil
them together. There are some who add bay berries to
46
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
this until it smells enough of bay; some also mix in styrex
[1-79] and myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116]. The best bay for the
manufacture of oil is mountainous and broad-leaved.
The best oil of bay is new and greenish in colour — very
bitter and sharp. It is warming and softening, opening
blood vessels that were shut, and overcoming
exhaustion. It is good for all infirmities around the
tendons, earaches, and for those troubled with dripping
mucus. It is an excellent ointment, as good as anything
else for those with kidneys inflamed because of cold.
Taken as a drink it is nauseating.
1-50. SCHINELAION
suggested: Schinus molle, Pistacia lentiscus,
Bursera gummifera, Sideroxylon mastichodendron
Mastic Tree, Pepper Tree, Herb Mastic, Oil of Mastic
Schinus molle is now an American genus; Bursera gummifera is now a West Indian tree
[Loudon],
T erminthinus — [old English] Termenteyne
— Turpentine Tree — Pistacia terebinthus
S chininum [ lentiscinum ] is made from ripe berries the
same as oil of bay, and thickened before use. It heals
parasitic skin diseases on beasts of burden and dogs
[veterinary]. It is effective mixed with suppositories,
remedies to remove fatigue, and medications for leprosy.
It also stops sweating.
T er min thin os [1-91] is also made the same way. It cools
and binds.
Bursera gummi folia
after FAGUET — 1878
1-51. MASTICHELAION
suggested: Schinus molle, Pistacia lentiscus,
Bursera gummifera, Sideroxylon mastichodendron
— Mastic Tree, Pepper Tree, Herb Mastic, Oil of Mastic
M astichinum is made from mastic pounded into small
pieces. It is good for disorders in the womb —
gently warming, astringent, softening. It is also good laid
on the stomach for hardened swellings, for the
abdominal cavity and dysentery; and for cleaning away
spots on the face, and causing a good colour. The best is
compounded in the isle of Chios.
47
OINTMENTS
OINTMENTS
1-52. MURON SUNTHESIS
MEDICINAL OINTMENTS
S eeing that ointments also are effective for some
diseases, either mixed with other medicines, dropped
on, poured on, or smelled, we thought it logical to make
this suggestion: that those who test them must determine
whether the ointments smell exactly of those herbs from
which the mixture is made. This method of judgement is
the best. Yet this is not observed in some ointments
because of the prevalence of stronger ingredients, as in
amaracinum [1-68], crocinum [1-64] and tdinum [1-57], as
well as some others, which are tested by sampling them
often.
1-53. RHODINON
suggested: R osa, R osa hortensis et sylvestris [Fuchs],
Rosa rubra [Bauhin], R osa gallica [Linnaeus]
— Common Rose, French Rose — Oil of Roses
R osaceum oil is made as follows. Take five pounds
eight ounces of juncus odoratus [4-52, 1-16] and
twenty pounds five ounces of oil; bruise the juncus and
steep it in water, then boil it, stirring it up and down.
Strain it out into the twenty pounds five ounces of oil, put
a thousand counted dry rose petals into it, and having
rubbed your hands with honey stir the mixture up and
down (every now and then squeezing the petals gently),
then after leaving them for a night, press them out. When
the dregs have sunk down, change the receiving jar, and
store it in large bowls wiped with honey. Then throwing
the strained roses in a small washing jar pour on them
eight pounds and five ounces of the thickened oil and
strain them out again, and this will be the second
pressing; and if you will, for a third or fourth time pour
oil in again on the roses, and strain them out again. A first,
second, third and fourth oil are made. Each time rub the
inside of the jars with honey. If you mean to make a
second insertion put the same number of new dry rose
48
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
petals into the oil that was first pressed out, and stirring it
up and down with hands smeared with honey, press it
out; and repeat in the same way the second, third and
fourth time, pressing it out again; and as often as you do
this put in fresh roses (paring off their stems) for this way
it becomes stronger. The oil can take this addition of roses
seven times, but by no means any farther. Also rub the
press with honey. You ought to carefully separate the oil
from the juice for if even a little of it is left in there it will
corrupt the oil. Some use the roses alone, cut off their
stems or whites, and infuse them by placing them in the
sun, having the amount of half a pound of petals to one
pint of oil, changing the petals every eight days, and
leaving them in the sun for forty days, and then storing it.
Some first thicken the oil by adding calamus [1-17] and
aspalathus [1-19]. Some include anchusa [4-23 to 4-26] to
give it a pleasant colour, and salt so that it does not spoil.
It is astringent and cooling, good for cleaning and
mixing with poultices. Taken as a drink it loosens the
bowels and cools a heated stomach. It fills up hollow
boils, and makes soothing medications for malignancies.
It is a rub for penetrative ulcers, catarrh in the head, and
heated eruptions; and a lotion for headache as well as a
mouth rinse for the start of a toothache. It is good rubbed
on for eyelids that have grown hard, and it is good given
as a suppository for rosiones [gnawing corrosion] or
irritations of the intestines and the vulva.
1-54. ELATINON
suggested: Elatinum, Ecballium elaterium, Ecballium agreste,
M omordica elaterium, Elaterium officinale — Oil of Cucumber,
Squirting Cucumber
H aving broken and bruised the elaterium, put it into a
washing jar, and pour on it oil of unripe olives. Let
it remain for three days, and then take it up into a basket
and press it out. Use the same weight of each ingredient,
then, having stored it in a clean jar, use it. It has the same
uses as the rosaceum [1-53] but it does not soothe the
bowels.
51
OINTMENTS
1-55. MELINON
suggested: Cotonea malus, Cydonia [Fuchs],
M ala cotonea minora [Bauhin], Pyrus cydonia [Linnaeus],
Cydonia oblonga, Cydonia vulgaris — Quince
O il of melinum is prepared as follows. Having mixed
together six pints of oil and ten pints of water, add
three ounces of bruised spatha [1-150] or elaterium [4-155]
and one ounce of juncus odoratus [4-52, 1-16], and after
letting them lie together for a day, boil them. Afterwards,
(having strained out the oil) put it into a broad-mouthed
jar, lay over it a mat of reeds or some thin covering and
place the fruit of cydonia on top of it, covering them with
cloths. Allow them (to stand thus) for many days until the
oil has extracted the strength from the quinces. Some
cover the fruit with cloths for ten days so that the sweet
smell may be kept in and not breathe out, afterwards they
steep them in oil two days and two nights, and then press
it out and bottle it. It is astringent and cooling — effective
for scabies [itchy parasitical disease], ulcers, dandruff,
chilblains and shingles [herpes]. Used as drops it is good
for open disorders in the vulva, and given as a
suppository it stops urinary urgency, and represses
sweating. It is taken as a drink against vomiting from
ingesting dried beetles [2-65], bupressedes [2-66] and
pi norum [1-86]. The best is considered to smell like the
fruit of cydonia.
1-56. OINANTHINON
SUGGESTED: CiSSUS digitata — Wild Grape, Sorrel Vine
Vitis labrusca— Wild Grapes
O enanthemum. Having dried the sweet-smelling
shoots or buds of the wild grape, put it into oil of
unripe olives and stir it around, churn it upside down
and leave it so for two days. Afterwards strain it out and
store it. It is astringent, equivalent to rosaceum [1-53],
except it neither loosens nor softens the bowels. That
which carries the smell of the shoots or buds is the most
approved of.
52
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-57. TELINON
suggested: Foenograecum, Foenumgraecum [Fuchs],
Foenumgraecum sativum [Bauhin],
Trigonelia foenum-graecum [Linnaeus], Telinum
— Oil of Fenugreek
T ake five pounds of fenugreek, nine pounds of oil, one
pound of calamus [1-17] and two pounds of Cyprus
[1-124], steep the herbs in the oil for seven days stirring it
up and down three times a day, and afterwards press it
out and store it. There are some who use cardamomum
[1-5] instead of calamus [1-17], and opobalsamum [1-18]
instead of Cyprus, and steep them together. Others first
thicken the oil with these, and afterwards steep the
fenugreek in there and strain it out. It is able to soften
mature abscesses, and is especially good for hard lumps
around the uterus, and for obstinate body cavities,
dripped in when it becomes dry around those places, the
moist fluids having been formerly evacuated. Administer
it for inflammation in the perineum, and for the
unproductive urge to evacuate. It cleans dandruff and
penetrative ulcers in the head, and it is good for burns
and chilblains. It gets off spots of sunburn with wax, and
it is mixed with medicines made to clean the face. Choose
that which is new, scours the hands, is bittersweet in taste
and does not smell too much like fenugreek, for that is
the best.
1-58. SAMPSUCHINON
suggested: A maracus, M aiorana [Fuchs], M ajorana vulgaris
[Bauhin], Sampsuchum, Sampsucum, Origanum majorum
[Pliny], Origanum majorana [Linneaus],
Origanum majoranoides, M ajorana horten sis
— Sweet Marjoram, Knotted Marjoram
T ake an amount each of serpyllum [3-46], cassia,
abrotanum [3-29], flowers of sisymbrium [2-155], leaves
of myrtle [1-55, 4-146] and sampsuchum that by guess you
shall think suitable, having respect for the strength of
each. Beat all these together, and pour on them unripe
olive oil but not enough to overwhelm the strength of
those things which are steeped in it, and so leave it alone
for four days. Afterwards strain it and take the same
55
OINTMENTS
amount of the same fresh herbs again and steep them for
another four days to make it stronger. Choose
sampsuchum that is a black, greenish colour, strongly
scented and quite sharp. This oil is warming and sharp,
reducing the intensity of symptoms. It is good for the
closing up and distortions of the vulva, extracts the
menstrual flow and afterbirth, is an abortifacient, and
refreshes constriction of the vulva. It lessens pains of the
abdomen and groin. It is best used with honey since it
hardens places with excessive astringency, and rubbed
on it disperses exhaustion. It is effectively mixed with
poultices for tetanus and for other kinds of convulsions.
1-59. OKIMINON
suggested: Ocimum exiguum, 0 cimum minutum,
Ocimum mediocre, Ocimum magnum [Fuchs], Ocimum basilicum,
Basilicum — Oil of Basil — Basil, Sweet Basil
T ake twenty pounds of oil and eleven pounds eight
ounces of basil in weight, take off the leaves, steep
them in the oil for a night and a day, then press it out and
bottle it. Then take the leaves out of the basket, pour in
the same amount of oil on them again and press it out.
This is called that which follows, for it does not allow a
third steeping. Then take the same amount of new basil
and steep it again as described in instructions about
rosaceum [1-53]. Then pour in the oil from the first
steeping, let the leaves lie and soak in there an equal time,
and afterwards strain it out and bottle it. If you wish to
steep it three or four times always put in new basil. It may
also be made from unripe olives but the other way is best.
It does the same things as sampsuchinum [above] but
not as effectively.
1-60. ABROTONINON
suggested: A brotonum foemina [Fuchs], A bsinthium ponticum
[Bauhin], A rtemisia pontica [Linnaeus], A brotanum mas
[Linnaeus], A rtemisia abrotanum, A brotoninum
— Southernwood — Oil of Southernwood
A brotoninum is made as follows. Take eight pounds of
the leaves of abrotanum [3-29] and eleven pounds
56
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
five ounces of the oil aromatized with the ingredients
that go into cyprinum [see 1-65], and having steeped them
in oil a day and a night, strain it out. If you wish to make it
last a long time throw away the first leaves, put in other
leaves, steep them too, and strain it out. It is warming and
good for closing up or hardness in the vulva, and
expelling the menstrual flow and afterbirth.
1-61. ANETHINON
suggested: A nethum hortense [Bauhin], Anethum graveolens
[Linnaeus], Peucedanum graveolens, Selinum athenum,
Pastinaca athenum, A nethinum — Dill, Oil of Dill
S teep eleven pounds and eight ounces of the flowers
of anethum for one day in eight pounds nine ounces of
oil, then squeeze it out by hand and store it. If you wish to
make a second steeping add new flowers of anethum. It
can soothe distress around the vulva and open it and is
effective for hard lumps on the gums, warming and
dissolving weariness, and is good for sores of the joints.
1-62. SUSINON
SUGGESTED: L ilium, L ilium album [Fuchs],
Li Hum candidum [Linnaeus] — Madonna Lily
[other usage] Crinum toxicarium, Crinum asiaticum
— White Lily, Lily Asphodel, Poison Bulb
see 3-116
POISONOUS
S usinum is also called I ilinum or li I iaceum and is made as
follows. After you have mixed together nine pounds
five ounces of oil, five pounds three ounces of calamus
[1-17] and five ounces of myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] in
fragrant wine, boil it, let the oil run through a strainer,
pour it out again, and add three pounds six ounces of
cardamom (bruised and steeped in rain water). Allow it
to be sufficiently steeped together, then strain it out. Take
three and a half pounds of this thickened oil and a
thousand (counted) lilies, and having stripped off their
leaves, put them in a broad but not deep jar. Pour in the
oil, stir it around with your hands (that have been
59
OINTMENTS
previously rubbed with honey) and let it stand for a day
and a night. The next morning pour it into a cupped
strainer and presently (when it is strained) separate the
oil on top from the water that is strained out with it,
because it will not permit the water with it, like rosaceum
[1-53], but when heated together it grows hot again and is
spoiled. Pour it out again into other jars smeared with
honey, first sprinkling a little salt in there and taking
away the filth carefully as it gathers together. Take the
strained aromatic stuff out of the basket, and placing it
into a broad jar pour in on it again the same amount of
the aromatised oil as at first. Put in ten teaspoons of
bruised cardamom, stir it well with your hands, and after
waiting a little strain it out, removing the filth off from
that which runs out. Pour on the oil again a third time,
repeat [the procedure] throwing in the cardamom and
the salt with it, and press it out (first smearing your hands
with honey). That which was the first strained out will be
the best, the second the next after that, and the third the
least. Then take another thousand lilies and strip off their
leaves, lay them in order and pour on them the oil that
was first strained out. Work methodically, doing the
same things over again as you did at first, mingling
cardamom [as before and afterwards straining it out]. Do
the same the second and the third time, placing into it the
cardamom, afterwards straining it out and repeating the
procedure. As often as you steep fresh lilies in there, (by
so much) you shall have the ointment stronger. Finally
when it seems to you that you have enough, mix with
every preparation seventy-two teaspoons of the best
myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116], ten teaspoons of crocus and
seventy-five teaspoons of cinnamon. Some take the same
amount of crocus and cinnamon (having pounded and
sifted it), put it into a jar with water, and pour on it the
ointment from the first pressing: afterwards (leaving it
alone a little while) they put it into little dry jars (first
smeared around with gum or myrrh and saffron and
honey diluted with water). Do the very same things to
the second and third pressings. Some make it with
nothing else but oil balaninum [1-40, 4-160] or some other
oil and lilies. The oil which is made in Phoenicia and in
Egypt is thought to excel most, the best being that which
smells [most] of lilies.
It is warming and softening — opening closures and
inflammation around the vulva — and in general it is the
60
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
most effective of all for female ailments. It is also good for
scaly scalp, varicose veins, dandruff, and feruidae [from
fever] eruptions. It quickly alters vi bices [marks from
blood under the skin during a fever] and makes them the
same colour as the rest of the skin. Generally it is very
purifying. Taken as a drink it expels bile through the
bowels, and induces the passage of urine; but it hurts the
stomach and causes nausea.
1-63. NARCISSINON
suggested: N arcissus odorus, N arcissus calathinus,
N arcissus campernelli — Campernelle Jonquil
N arcissus pseudo-narcissus, N arcissus sylvestris
— Wild Narcissus, Daffodil, Lent Lily, Lent Rose
N arcissus poeticus, N arcissinum — Poet's Narcissus,
Pheasant's Eye — Oil of Narcissus
O leum narcissi num is thickened as follows. Take thirty
pounds five ounces of washed oil and six pounds of
aspalathum [1-19] (pounded and steeped in water). Mix it
with a third of the oil and boil it. Take out the aspalathum
and put in five pounds eight ounces of calamus [1-17] and
pounded sifted grains of myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116]
(steeped in old fragrant wine). Mix it and boil it and when
it has boiled with these ingredients take it off. When it is
cold strain out the oil, then take the oil and pour it out
into a jar and add a large amount of narcissus flowers,
stirring it up and down for two days. Then as we said in
SUSinum [1-62], strain it out and repeatedly pour it out
from one jar to another, as it is also quickly spoiled. It is
good for damage in the vulva, softening hardness and
closures around it. It causes headaches, however.
1-64. KROCINON
suggested: Croci flores et folia [Fuchs], Crocus sativus
[Bauhin], Crocus sativus var officinalis [Linnaeus], Croci num
— Saffron Crocus — Oil of Crocus
POISONOUS
I ntending to prepare croci num you must first of all
thicken the oil as was explained in SUSinum [1-62] with
the very same weight and amount. Take therefore three
63
OINTMENTS
and a half pounds of the thickened oil of susinum [1-62],
put in there eight teaspoons of crocus and stir it up and
down often each day, doing this continuously for five
days together. On the sixth day pour out the oil, separate
it from the crocus, pour in again on the same crocus the
same amount of new oil and stir it up and down for
thirteen days. Then having poured it all back again, mix
with it forty teaspoons of myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116]
(pounded and sifted), stir it around well in a mortar, and
bottle it. Some use as much aromatised oil for crocinum as
they do for cyprinum [1-65]. The best smells abundantly of
crocus and this is fit for medicinal use, and the next best
smells of myrrh. It is warming and sleep-inducing, thus it
is often good for an unsound mind when [the head is]
moistened with it (or if it is merely smelled) or if the
nostrils are rubbed with it. It induces movement of pus,
cleans boils, and is good for hardness in the uterus (and
closure) and other ill afflictions there, with wax, crocus,
marrow, and double the oil. It digests, softens, moistens
and lessens. It is also good for glaucoma of the eyes
rubbed on with water. This is the same as butyrinum,
onychinum and styracinum — differing only in name but
having the same preparation and effect.
1-65. KUPRINON
suggested: Lawsonia alba, Lawsonia inermis Cyprinum
— Cyprus, Henna Shrub, Egyptian Privet — Oil of Cyprus
T ake one part washed oil of unripe olives and a part
and a half of rainwater. Pour out some of this into the
oil and mix the other with the aromata [fragrant herbs]
that are to be put in. Afterwards take five and a half
pounds of aspa/athus [1-19], six and and half pounds of
calamus, one pound of myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116], three
pounds nine ounces of cardamom and nine pounds five
ounces of oil. Having bruised and steeped the aspalathus
throw it in the water, and boil it with the oil until it boils
together. Then steep the myrrh in old fragrant wine,
steep the bruised calamus together with the myrrh, and
taking out the aspalathus, put in this mixture of calamus.
When it has boiled together take down the kettle, strain
out the oil and pour it on the bruised cardamom and that
which was steeped in the rest of the water, and stir it
64
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
around with a continuous splashing — not stopping until
it is cold. Afterwards strain out the oil and put forty-six
pounds eight ounces of Cyprus [1-65] flowers into
twenty-eight pounds of oil, allow them to be steeped,
and strain them through a wicker basket. If you would
have more of it place in again the same amount of new
flowers, strain it out in same way again, and if you will
you may steep it a third and a fourth time for in this way
it is made more effective. Choose that which is good and
which strongly impresses [the nostrils] with its sweet
smell. Some also mingle cinnamon with it. It has a
warming, softening quality, opening the mouths [of the
blood vessels], good for disorders of the vulva and nerves
and for pleurisy and fractures, both alone as well as
mixed with a stiff ointment. It is also put into softening
medicines made to help those troubled with stiff
convulsions of the neck, as well as those troubled with
angina, and for inflammation of the groin. It is also put
into medicines against weariness.
1-66. IRINON
SUGGESTED: Iris germanica [Fuchs, Brunfels, Linnaeus],
Iris vulgaris Germanica sivesylvestris [Bauhin], Irinum
— German Iris, Blue Flower de Luce, Flowering Ring
— Iris Oil
POISONOUS
T ake six pounds eight ounces of spatha or data [1-150]
(pounded as small as possible) and seventy three
pounds five ounces of oil. Mix it with five pints of water,
place it into a brass ]ar and boil it until it absorbs the smell
of spatha ; afterwards strain it out into a basin smeared
with honey. From this aromatised oil the first irinum is
prepared, the iris being steeped in the thickened oil as
described below. Or else do the following. Take five
pounds two ounces of xylobalsamum [1-18] and seventy
pounds five ounces of oil, and having pounded them as
above, boil them together. Afterwards take out the
xylobalsamum, put in nine pounds ten ounces of bruised
calamus [1-17] [as well as an equal weight of] grains of
myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] steeped in old fragrant wine.
Afterwards take fourteen pounds of this thickened and
aromatised oil, steep the same weight of bruised iris in
67
OINTMENTS
there, leave it undisturbed for two days and two nights,
and afterwards strain it out lustily and forcibly. If you
would have it stronger add the same amount [of iris],
steeping similarly the same amount a second and third
time, then strain it out. The best by far smells of nothing
else but only of iris, such as that made in Perga,
Pamphylia and that made in Elis, Achaia. It is softening
and warming, and it cleans crusted ulcers, decaying flesh
and filth, and it is good for conditions around the vulva,
and for inflammation and closures of it. It expels a birth
and opens haemorrhoids. It is good for noises in the ears
applied with vinegar, rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98] and bitter
almonds. For dripping mucus that has endured long the
nostrils are rubbed with it, and also for fetid nasal polyps.
A drink of a wine cupful purges the bowels, is good for
suffering of the stomach, encourages urine, and is good
for those who have difficulty vomiting, their fingers
being rubbed with it [to put down the throat] or given
with other things that cause vomiting. It is good rubbed
on for angina or gargled with honey and water, and also
for roughness of the arteries. It is given as an antidote to
those who have taken a drink of hemlock, fungi or
coriander.
1-67. GLEUCINON
SUGGESTED: G leucinum — Syruped Pulp of Grapes in Oil,
Oil of Must
G , leucinum simplex is prepared from oil of unripe
olives, schoinos [rushes], calamus [1-17], Celtic nard
[1-7], spatha [1-150], aspalathus [1-19], melilot [3-48], costus
[1-15] and must. The vinandea [must] is laid in the jar that
contains the aromata [fragrant herbs] with the wine and
oil. It is stirred up and down twice every day for thirty
days and then strained out and stored. It is warming,
softening and relaxing; good for chills, sinewy diseases
and disorders of the vulva. It is more effective than acopon
[medicines to remove fatigue] being softening.
68
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-68. AMARAKINON
suggested: A maracinum — Parthenium,
Cotula foetida [Fuchs], Chamaemelum foetidum [Bauhin],
Anthemis cotula [Linnaeus] — Mayweed [Mabberley]
[other usage] Origanum amaracus — Amaracus
Origanum dictamnus, D ictamnus creticus, A maracus dictamnus
— Dittany of Crete
T he best amaracinum is made in Cyzicum. It is made
from the oils of unripe olives and balaninum [1-40,
4-160]; thickened with xylobalsamum [1-18], schoenus [4-52]
and calamus [sweet flag] but sweetened with amaracus
and costus [1-15], amomum [1-14], nard [1-6, 1-7, 1-8, 1-10],
carpobalsam [fruit of opalobalsamum, 1-18] and myrrh [1-77,
1-73, 4-116]. Those who make it expensively include
cinnamon. Honey and wine are used both for rubbing
the jars and steeping the aromata [fragrant herbs] that
have been pounded. It is warming, sleep-inducing,
opening the blood vessels, softening, heating and
diuretic — effective for decaying flesh, fistulas, and
watery ruptures occuring after the help of surgery. It
breaks cradle cap on all sides and efferata [growing
outwards] ulcers, and it is good for difficult urination (the
perineum or buttocks and anus rubbed with it), and it is
also good rubbed on for inflammation of the same places,
and for opening haemorrhoids. Applied to the uterus it
induces passage of the menstrual flow, and dissolves
hardness and oedema [water retention] in the vulva. It is
good for hurt tendons and muscles, moistened and
applied in thin pads of wool. There is also a kind of oil
which naturally and of its own accord drops out of the
rock, with a sweet smell and a certain heaviness. It is
found in Arabia and Italy and is very effective for many
uses. It is able to dry, open, and glue tendons together. It
is good for scabs and ulcers, and it also lessens and
subdues wind.
71
OINTMENTS
1-69. MEGALEION
suggested: M egalium — Parthenium, Cotula foetida [Fuchs],
Chamaemelum foetidum [Bauhin], A nthemis cotula [Linnaeus]
— Mayweed [Mabberley]
T hat which is called megalium used to be made but is
no longer, yet for the completeness of the history it
will not be out of place to speak something of it. The
mixture of this is the same as amaracinum [1-68] but there
is resin added to it so that it differs only in that. It is gently
softening. Resin is mixed with the oils neither for
preservation nor delight's sake but only to colour and
thicken them. Turpentine is also mixed with it and boiled
until it stops smelling. The method of boiling it is
explained in the section on resin.
1-70. HEDYCHROON
suggested: H edychroon — Parthenium, Cotula foetida [Fuchs],
Chamaemelum foetidum [Bauhin ], A nthemis cotula [Linnaeus]
— Mayweed [Mabberley]
T hat which is called hedychroon and which is made in
Co has the same strength and the same method of
preparation as amaracinum [1-68] but it smells sweeter.
1-71. METOPION
suggested: Ferula galbaniflua, M etopium — Galbanum
A n ointment is prepared in Egypt which they call
met opium because they mix galbanum with it, for the
wood out of which galbanum is made they call metopium.
A mixture is made of bitter almonds, oil of unripe olives
and cardamom, schoenus [4-52], calamus [1-17], honey,
wine, myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116], seeds of balsam [1-18],
galbanum and resin. The best smells strongly and is fat,
resembling cardamom and myrrh rather than galbanum.
It heats and burns considerably and it also opens the
mouths of blood vessels. It draws and purges ulcers. It is
effective applied with antiseptic plasters for strength,
muscles that have been cut, and watery lungs. It is mixed
with warm compresses and stiff ointments. It is good for
72
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
chills and reversed curved bodies in convulsions. It
encourages sweat, opens closed blood vessels of the
uterus and loosens hardness around it, and in general it
has a softening quality.
1-72. MENDESION
SUGGESTED: M mdesium — Resin Compound
M endesium is made from balanine oil [1-40, 4-160],
myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116], cassia and resin. Some,
after they have put in everything by weight, additionally
put in a little cinnamon, but this is unneccessary because
the things that are not pounded together do not yield
their strength. It has similar properties to metopium [1-71]
yet to a lower degree.
1-73. STACTE
suggested: Commiphora abyssinica — Coarse Myrrha
Commiphora myrrha — Myrrh Tree, Myrrha
Stacte — Oil of new Myrrh
see 1-77, 4-116
S tacte is the fat of new myrrh bruised with a little water
and pressed out with an instrument. It has a very
sweet smell, is precious, and by itself makes an ointment
called Stacte. The approved Stacte is not mixed with oil and
has a great deal of strength in a little amount, with a
warming quality similar to myrrh and hot oils.
1-74. KINNAMOMIN ON
suggested: Cinnamominum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum
— Oil of Cinnamon
C innamominum is made from oil of balanine [1-40,
4-160] and thickened with xylobalsamum [1-18],
calamus [1-17], schoenus [4-52], the sweetness of
cinnamon, carpo balsamum [1-18], four times the quantity
of myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] as cinnamon, and honey is
mixed in to incorporate them. The best approved is not
sharp, with a mild smell and with myrrh predominating.
75
OINTMENTS
thick and sweet-smelling, and with a very bitter taste.
This has its thickness not from resin but from myrrh. For
resin neither gives it bitterness nor a sweet smell. It is
sharp, warming and bitter. Therefore it opens the mouths
of blood vessels by warming, and it dissolves, dissipates,
and draws forth all fluids and windiness, but it offends
the head. It is good for diseases around the vulva with
twice as much oil and wax and bone marrow, for this way
it reduces much of its sharpness and becomes softening.
Otherwise it burns and hardens more violently than all
other thickened ointments. It is effective with cardamom
for fistulas, decaying flesh, watery lungs, carbuncles
[infected boils] and gangrene; and rubbed on for chills
which recur, tremors, and those bitten by virulent beasts.
It is to be applied with bruised green figs to those touched
by scorpions or phalangii [harvest spiders].
1-75. NARDINON MURON
suggested: Phu germanicum, Valeriana vulgaris,
Phu vulgare [Fuchs], Valeriana sylvestris major [Bauhin],
Valeriana officinalis [Linnaeus], N ardinum
— Valerian [Mabberley] — Spikenard Ointment
N ardinum ointment is prepared various ways —
either with the leaf of malabathrum [1-11] or without
it. For the most part it is mixed with oil balanine [1-40,
4-160] or unripe olive oil, and to thicken the oil juncus
odoratus [4-52, 1-16] is added, and to give it a sweet smell
costus [1-15], amomum [1-14], nardus [1-6, 1-7, 1-8, 1-10]
myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] and balsamum [1-18] are added.
The best is thin, not sharp, with the sweet smell in it of
dried nardus or amomum. It reduces the intensity of
symptoms and purifies fluids with a sharp, cleansing,
warming strength. It is moist and not thick like a stalk or
stem, unless it has resin in it. Some with less value is made
from unripe olive oil, juncus odoratus, calamus [1-17], costus
and nardus.
76
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-76. MALABATHRINON
suggested: T rapa bi corn is — Ling Nut
T rapa bispinosa — Singhara Nut
T rapa quadrispinosa — Water Chestnut species
Limnantheum indicum, N ymphoides indica — Water Snowflake
C alii tri che pal u stri s, C all i tri che vern a, C all i tri che platycarpa
— Water Starwort
see 1-11
M alabathrinum or foliatum that is thickened like
nardinum [1-75] has more myrrh, thus it is warming
and equal to crocinum [1-64] or amaracinum [1-68].
1-77. IASMELAION
suggested: Jasminum sambac, Nyctanthes arbor tristus
[Bedevian] — Arabian Jasmine
Jasme — Oil of Jasmine
T hat which is called jasme is made among the Persians
from the white flowers of jasmine — two ounces of
which are placed into an Italian pint of sesame oil, then
changed and softened again as described in the
manufacture of liliaceum [1-62], The use of this is
entertained among the Persians at their banquets for the
sweet scent that it yields. It is good for the whole body
after bathing, for those who want warmth and relaxation.
It has a heavy sweet smell, so that many do not willingly
use it.
Bursera gummifolia
after FAGUET — 1878
77
GUMS from TREES
GUMS from TREES
1-77. SMURNA
SUGGESTED: Commiphora myrrha — Myrrh Tree, Myrrha
Commiphora abyssinica — Coarse Myrrha
see 1-73
S myrna [myrrh] is the oozing of a tree (like the
Egyptian [tree]) which grows in Arabia, an incision
being made in the thorns, from which the gum drips
down onto the mats spread underneath, but some
congeals around the stock of the tree. Some of this is
called pediasimos (as we should say, campestris) from
which when pressed stacte [oil of new myrrh] is taken.
Another called gabirea is more thick and grows in fruitful
and fertile places. It also yields much stacte. Priority is
given to that called troglodytica from the place that breeds
it — a pale green, biting and transparent. Some is also
gathered which is thinner, next in esteem to the
primitive, soft like bdellium , with a poisonous smell as it
were, growing in sunny places. There is another kind
called cau cal is which is smelly, black and dried. The worst
of all is that which is called ergasima which is rough, with
little fat, and sharp — resembling gum both in sight and
strength. That called aminea is also not allowed. Fragrant
and fat pressings are made from the fat gum; pressings
neither fat nor good-smelling from the dry gum, weaker
because they did not take in oil in their manufacture or
forming. It is counterfeited by gum steeped in the water
in which myrrh was infused and mixed. Choose that
which is new, brittle, light, of the same colour
throughout, and which when broken is smooth like a nail
and in small pieces — bitter, sharp, fragrant and
warming. That which is ponderous, weighs heavy and is
the colour of pitch is useless.
It is warming, rheum-closing, sleep-inducing,
retaining, drying and astringent. It soothes and opens the
closed vulva, and it expels the menstrual flow and birth
speedily applied with wormwood [3-26], a dilution of
lupins [2-132, 2-13] or juice from rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98]. The
amount of a bean is taken like a catapotium [pill], against a
long-enduring cough, asthma, pains of the side and
78
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
chest, looseness of the bowels and dysentery. It dissolves
chills (in acute fevers, especially recurrent paroxysmic
ones) the amount of a bean taken in a drink with pepper
and water two hours before the fit. Put under the tongue
and melted it helps both sharpness of the arteries and
hoarseness of the voice. It kill s worms and is chewed for
stinking breath. For sores on the armpits it is rubbed on
with liquid alum [5-123]. Used as a mouthwash with wine
and oil it strengthens teeth and gums. Rubbed on with
the flesh of a snail it cures broken ears and exposed
bones, as well as pus in the ears and their inflammation
with meconium [4-65], castorium [2-26] and glaucium [2-212,
3-100]. It is rubbed on varicose veins with cassia and
honey. It cleans away impetigo [skin infection] with
vinegar, and it stops hair falling out [alopecia] rubbed on
with ladanum [1-128], wine and oil myrsinum [1-48].
Rubbed on the ear externally it alleviates long-enduring
discharges. It f il l s up ulcers in the eyes, and it wears off
white spots on the cornea and things which darken the
pupils. It also smooths rough skin. A soot is also made of it
(like soot of frankincense) effective for the same
purposes, as we will show.
1-78. BOIOTIKE SMURNA
suggested: H ipposelinum,Smyrnium olusatrum,
Petroselinum alexandrinum — Alexanders, Black Lovage,
Horse Parsley, Boeotin Myrrh
see 1-77, 1-73, 3-78, 4-116
B oeotican myrrh comes out of the cut root of a certain
plant growing in Boeotia. Choose that which
resembles myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] in the sweet smell. It is
softening, warming and dissolving. It is also effective
mixed in inhalations of smoke or fumes.
1-79. STURAX
suggested: Styrax officinale— Styrax Tree
Styrax benzoin, Benzoin officinale, Li thocarpus benzoin
— Gum Benjamin Tree, Benzoe
S tyrax is the oozing of a certain tree like a quince tree.
The best is yellow, fat, full of resin, having white
81
GUMS from TREES
under the clots, which remains a long time in its sweet
sauce, and which when it is softened releases a certain
honeyish kind of moisture. The gabalites, pissiadicus and
the cilicius are like this. That which is black, brittle and
like bran (or encrusted) is worthless. An oozing like the
gum is also found (transparent like myrrh [1-77, 1-73,
4-116]) but there is only a little that grows of this. They
counterfeit it with powder from the same tree (made by
the boring of worms) by mixing honey with it and the
thick matter of iris and certain other things. Some also
aromatise wax or tallow in the sharpest sun, work it
together with styrax, and press it out into cold water
through a colander with broad holes (making as it were
little worms of it), and they sell it, calling it vermiculatum
[now a name for gum of acacia thorns]. Those who are
unskilful approve of it as authentic, not noticing the weak
intensity of the smell, for that which is without deceit is
very sharp.
It is warming, softening and digestive. It cures coughs
and dripping mucus, runny noses, hoarseness and loss of
the voice. It is good for closures and hardness in the
vulva, and taken as a drink and applied it dries out the
menstrual flow. It gently softens the bowels if a little of it
is swallowed down with resin terminthos [1-91]. It is also
effective mixed with dispersing ointments or plasters and
acopon [fatigue removers]. It is burned, roasted, scorched
and made into a soot like thus [1-81] and this soot is good
for the same things as thus. But the ointment styracinum
[also refered to as oil of crocus] which is made from it in
Syria warms and powerfully softens; but it causes pain,
heaviness of the head and sleep.
1-80. BDELLION
suggested: Bdellium africanum, Balsamodendrum africanum,
H eudelotia africanum — Bdellium Tree, Balsamodendron kua
B dellium (which some call madelcum or bolchum ) is the
oozing of a Sarandenian tree. The best-approved is
bitter in taste, transparent, fat like bull's glue, fat in the
inside of it and easily growing soft, without wood or
other filth, with a very sweet smell when burnt, like
juncus odoratus [4-52, 1-16]. There is another sort — filthy
and black, in bigger pieces, rolled up into lumps —
82
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
brought out of India. It is also brought from a town called
Petra, and this is dry, resinous, black and blue
underneath, and next in strength to the first. It is
counterfeited by mixing gum with it, but this is not as
bitter to the taste, and when burnt and smoked it does
not smell as sweet.
It is warming and softening, and diluted with the
spittle of one fasting it dissolves hardness and swellings
of the throat and watery ruptures. It opens the entrance
to the vulva when applied and the smoke inhaled. It is an
abortifacient and draws out moisture. Taken as a drink it
breaks up stones [kidney, urinary] and it expels urine. It
is effective given for coughs and poisonous creatures'
bites. It is good for hernia, convulsions and pain of the
side, and for the accumulated wind in those who have
run. It is put into warm compresses which are good for
hardness and the knots in the nerves. Bruised, it is
worked together with wine or hot water is poured on it.
1-81. LIB ANON THUS
suggested: Boswellia carterii, Boswellia papyrifera,
Boswdlia floribunda, Boswellia serrata
— Gum from Frankincense, Olibanum Tree
Ferula rubricaulis — also used in incense
T hus (which is also called thurifera) grows in Arabia,
the best of which is the masculum called stagonias,
naturally round. This when not cut is white, and when
broken fat within. Put on fire it burns straight. The Indian
is both yellow-brown underneath and a pale yellow in
colour. It is made round by art and industry. For cutting it
into cubes and throwing them into jars of clay they roll
them up and down so long in there until they take a
round form. Such thus as this grows yellow in time and is
called atomum or syagrium. Next to this is that from Arabia
and that which grows in Amelum. It is also called
copiscum [abundant] and it is smaller and more yellow.
There is some called amomites which is otherwise white
but when softened is yielding like mastic [1-51]. All thus is
adulterated with resin of pine and gum, being artificially
handled. Discerning this is easy. The gum when put into
a fire does not flame out, and the resin evaporates into
smoke, but the thus is kindled and by its scent proves
85
GUMS from TREES
itself. It is able to warm and is an astringent to clean away
things which darken the pupils, fill up the hollowness of
ulcers and draw them to a scar, and to glue together
bloody wounds; and it is able to suppress all excessive
discharges of blood including that of the neural
membrane. Pounded into small pieces and applied with
linen dipped in milk it lessens malignant ulcers around
the perineum and other parts. It takes away new warts
and impetigo [skin infection] smeared on with vinegar
and pitch. It cures ulcerous burns from fire and chilblains
rubbed on with fat from a pig or goose. With saltpetre
[potassium nitrate] it cures ulcers that penetrate the
head. It is used with honey for hangnails and with pitch
for bruises of the ears, and poured in with sweet wine for
other sores of the ears. Rubbed on with fuller's earth
[ammonium silicate] and rosaceum [1-53] it is good for
women's breasts inflamed from the time of their giving
birth. It is effective mixed with medicines made for the
arteries and the bowels; and taken as a drink it helps
those who spit blood. Taken as a drink by those who are
healthy it brings madness, and taken as a drink in any
great amount with wine, it kills. Thus is burnt in a clean
ceramic jar and set on fire by a piece of it lighted by a
candle until it is burnt. You must (after it is fully burnt)
stop it with something until it is quenched, for so it will
not be turned into ashes. Some also put a hollow brass jar
around the pot with holes in the middle for receiving the
soot, as we will show in the description of the soot of thus.
Some place it into unfired jars, wrap it around with clay,
and burn it in a furnace. It is also burnt in a new ceramic
jar with hot burning coals until it no longer bubbles nor
sends out any more fat or vapour, and that which is
thoroughly burnt is easily broken.
1-82. PHLOIOS LIBANOU
suggested: Boswellia carterii, Boswellia papyri fera,
Boswellia floribunda, Boswellia serrata — Bark of Frankincense,
Olibanum Tree
T he best bark of thuris [t/ll/S] is thick, fat, fragrant, new,
smooth, and neither coarse nor thin. It is
counterfeited by mixing it with the bark of strobilinum [fir
cones, pine cones]. Fire will also betray these. For the
86
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
others when put into the fire do not kindle, but smoke
without any sweet smell and are extinguished. But the
bark of thus kindles and incense is made of it. It has the
same properties as frankincense but is more effective and
astringent. As a result, it is better (taken in a drink) for
those who spit blood or are troubled with an excessive
discharge from stomach or uterus; and as an astringent it
is alternately a substitute. It is also good for scars on the
eye, intestinal worms and filth, and applied it is effective
for scabby inflammation of the eyes.
1-83. LIBANOU MANNA
suggested: Boswellia carterii, Boswetlia papyrifera,
Boswellia floribunda, Boswellia serrata
— Exudation of Frankincense, Olibanum Tree
Manna — an exudation
T he approved manna of frankincense is white, clean
and grainy. It has the same strength as frankincense
but is somewhat grainy. Some adulterate it by mixing
with it resin from the pine tree, sieved, and the flour
used, or else bark of thus pounded. But fire tests all these
for they do not burn the same way, neither with the same
strength nor with the same clear airy smoke (as the other)
but with a sooty and impure one, and the sweet smell has
a certain kind of sour one mixed with it.
1-84. LIBANOU AITHALIE
suggested: Boswellia serrata, Thus — Soot of Frankincense,
Spruce, Firs, Pines
M ake soot of thuris as follows. Holding a grain of thus
[frankincense] with a little pair of tongs to a lamp
to set it alight, put it into a new hollow ceramic jar then
cover it with a brass jar (hollow within, full of holes in the
middle and carefully wiped very clean). Then put over
on one side of it (or on both) little stones of four fingers in
height to see whether the pieces burn or not, and that
there may be a place where to put other grains under also
before the first grain is quite out. Do this until you think
that you have gathered enough soot. But always keep the
outside of the brass cover moist with a sponge dipped in
87
GUMS from TREES
cold water. For all the soot adheres faster to it when it is
not too hot, which otherwise because of the lightness of it
falls off and is mixed with the ashes of frankincense.
Therefore, having scraped off the first soot do so again as
often as you shall think suitable, and also take away the
ashes separately from the thus that has been burnt. It has
the ability to soothe inflammation of the eyes, repress
discharges, clean ulcers, fill hollow sores, and repress
diseases of the cornea.
1-85. LIGNUOS SKEUASIA
suggested: Soot of Myrrh — Commiphora myrrha
Resin — Spruce, Firs, Pines; Benzoin — Sty rax
I n the same way soot is made from myrrh [1-77, 1-73,
4-116], rosin and styrax [1-79] and these are good for
the same purposes [as the above]. You can produce soot
in the same way from other resins.
1-86. PITUS, PEUKE
suggested: Pinus rigida, Peuce [Pliny] — Pitch Pine
Pin, Pinus, Pinus pinea, Pinus sativa — Italian Stone Pine
P itys is a well-known tree. There is another similar tree
called peuce which differs in shape. The bark of both
of them is astringent. Pounded into small pieces and a
poultice then made of it, it is good with sediment [of
wine] and manna [exudation of trees] for chafing
dermatitis, superficial ulcers and for burns. Taken with
myrica wax ointment it brings boils to a scar in those with
tender skin; and pounded into small pieces with blacking
from a shoemaker it represses serpentia [Tsnakebite]. It
expels the birth and afterbirth out of the uterus taken as
inhalations (smoke, fumes); and taken as a drink it stops
discharges of the intestines and encourages urine. Their
leaves pounded into small pieces and made into a
poultice lessen inflammation and keep wounds from
being inflamed. Pounded into small pieces and boiled in
vinegar they lessen toothache when [the teeth are]
washed with the warm liquid. One teaspoon of the leaves
(taken as a drink with water, or honey and water) is good
for liver disorders. The bark from the cones and the split
88
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
leaves (taken in a drink) are good for the same purposes.
A toeda [a piece of the heart of the tree] cut in small pieces
in a decoction boiled with vinegar and held in to a tooth
that suffers, lessens toothache. A paste is made from
them suitable for preparations for enemas and
suppositories. When they are burning a soot is taken,
good to make writing ink, and good also to be put in
medicines for the eyelids. It is also good for erosions at
the corners of the eyes, weeping eyes and bald eyelids.
1-87. PITUIDES
suggested: Pinus rigida, Peuce— Pitch Pine
Pinus mughus, Pinus nigra, Pinus maritima — Pineseeds, Pine
P i tyi des are the fruit of the pines [and of the pinus pi cea]
found in the cones. They are astringent and
somewhat warming. They help coughs and disorders of
the chest taken either by themselves or with honey.
1-88. STROBILOI
suggested: Pinus mughus, Pinus nigra,
Pinus maritima, Pinus pinea, Pinus rigida — Pine Cones
F ir cones cleaned and eaten or taken in a drink with
passu m [raisin wine] and cucumber seed are diuretic,
and dull irritations of the bladder and kidneys. They also
lessen rosiones [gnawing corrosion] of the stomach. Taken
with juice of purslane [4-169] they strengthen infirmity of
the body, and dull the infection of fluids. Fir cones
gathered whole from the trees, pounded while they are
fresh, and boiled in passu m [raisin wine] are good for old
coughs and consumptive wasting if three cups of this
liquid is taken every day.
GUMS from TREES
Schinus molle
after FAGUET — 1878
Bursera obtusi folia
after FAGUET — 1878
1-89. SCHINOS
suggested: Schinus molle, Pistacia lentiscus,
Bursera gummifera, Sideroxylon mastichodendron, Schinus
— Mastic Tree, Pepper Tree, Herb Mastic
Schinus molle is now an American genus; Bursera gummifera is now a West Indian tree
[Loudon].
S chinus is a well-known tree that is wholly astringent
in its fruit and leaves. The bark of the branches and
root are of equal strength. A juice is made of the bark, root
and leaves sufficiently boiled in water. Then (after they
are boiled) the plant material is removed and the water
boiled again to the consistency of honey. Being of an
astringent nature it is good taken as a drink for throwing-
up blood, discharges from the stomach, and dysentery, as
well as for bloody eruptions from the uterus, and for
prolapse of the uterus and perineum. Generally it may be
used instead of acacia and hypocistis [1-127], The juice
strained out of the leaves performs the same functions,
and a decoction of the leaves applied with hot cloths fills
hollow cavities, consolidates broken bones, and stops
discharge of fluids from the uterus. It is a remedy against
gangrenous sores and is diuretic, and it settles unstable
teeth that are washed with it. The green sprigs are rubbed
on the teeth (instead of reed toothpicks) to clean them.
An astringent oil is made from the fruit which is suitable
for things which need an astringent.
1-90. SCHININE RETINE
suggested: Schinus molle, Pistacia lentiscus,
Bursera gummifera, Sideroxylon mastichodendron, Schinus
— Mastic Tree, Pepper Tree, Herb Mastic
Schinus molle is now an American genus; Bursera gummifera is now a West Indian tree
[Loudon].
A resin called lentiscin a comes from / enti scum, and also
some called mastic. Taken as a drink it is good for
vomiting of blood and for an old cough. It is good for the
stomach, causing belching. It is mixed with tooth
powders and ointments for the face making it clearer. It
prevents the eyelashes from falling out and thickens
them, and when chewed it causes sweet breath and
90
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
strengthens the gums. The best and most abundant
grows in Chios and the choicest is that which is clear and
similar in whiteness to Tyrrhenian wax — full, dry,
crumbly and sweet-smelling — but that which is green is
bad. It is adulterated by frankincense and resin of pine
cones being mixed with it.
1-91. TERMINTHOS
suggested: T erminthinus, T ermenteyne [old English],
Pistacia terebinthus — Turpentine Tree
see also 1-50, 5-39
T erminthos is a well-known tree the leaves, fruit and
bark of which are astringent and good for the same
things as lentisk [1-90], used and taken in the same way.
The fruit is edible but hurts the stomach. It is diuretic and
warming, excellent to act on venereal diseases. Taken in a
drink with wine it is good against harvest spider bites.
The resin is brought out of Arabia Petraea. It also grows in
Judaea, Syria, Cyprus and Africa, and in the islands called
Cyclades. The preferred resin is most clear, white, a
glassy colour and inclining to an azure [blue], fragrant,
and smells like terminthos. The resin from terminthos
surpasses all other resins and after it is the lentiscina [1-90]
then pituine [1-86] and elaterium [4-155]. After these are
reckoned both peucedanum [3-92] and pine cones. Now all
resin has a soothing, warming, dispersing, cleansing
quality; good for coughs and consumption [wasting
disease] taken in syrups (either by itself or with honey),
purging what should be purged out of the chest. It is also
diuretic, helps digestion, softens the intestines, and is
good for retaining hair on the eyebrows. It is good for
leprosy with rust from brass, blacking from a shoemaker
and saltpetre [potassium nitrate]. For ears which run
with filthy matter it is applied with oil and honey, and it
is effective for itching genitals. It is mixed with plasters,
warm compresses, and remedies to remove fatigue.
Rubbed on or applied by itself it helps pains of the side.
93
GUMS from TREES
1-92. RETINA ALLAS
suggested: Pinus mughus, Pinus nigra, Pinus maritima,
Pinus pinea, Pinus rigida, Peuce — Pitch Pine, Pine
Picea alba, Pinus sylvestris, A bies pectinata, Picea excelsa
— White Spruce, Silver Fir, Fir
A bies iaryx, L arix europa — Larch
C upressus sempervirens, C upressus funebris — Cypress
M oist resin also comes out of the pine tree and the
pitch tree brought from Gallia and Hetruria.
Previously it was sometimes brought from Colophon
from which it had its surname of colophonia, as well as
from Galatia (which is near the Alps) which the
inhabitants of that place in their proper tongue call the
larch tree. This is particularly good (taken in a linctus
[syrup] or alone) for lasting coughs. They are also
different in colour for one is white, another of oil colour,
and another looks like honey, such as that of the larch
tree. Moist resin also comes out of the cypress tree, good
for the same purposes. Of that which is dry there is some
called strobilina [from pine cones], elaterium [4-155],
peu cine [1-86] and pituine [1-86]. Choose that which smells
sweetest and is clear — neither too dry nor too moist, but
like wax and brittle. Of these that of the pitch tree and fir
tree excel, for they have a sweet smell and resemble
frankincense in their odour. The best are brought out of
Pityusa (an island which lies near Spain), but that from
the pitch tree, strobilus [pine cones] and the cypress are of
a meaner sort and are not the same in strength as the
others, yet they are made use of for the same purposes.
Lentiscina [1-90] matches terminthos [1-91] in strength.
1-93. LIGNUOS RETINES
SUGGESTED: Soot from Resin
A ll liquid resin is burnt in a jar containing four times
as much resin as the amount of the liquid that is to be
poured into it. You must (when you have put four and a
half litres of resin and two gallons of rain water into a jar)
boil it over a coal fire gently, always stirring it until it is
without any smell and brittle and dry, and as it were
yields to the fingers. At last having cooled it, it must be
94
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
put up in a bottle made without pitch, and so it becomes
extraordinarily white, but first you must strain all the
resin, melting it so that the filth may be separated from it.
It is also burnt without water on coals — gently at first but
more violently when it begins to thicken — then place
many coals under and boil it without intermission for
three days and three nights until the remains have the
predicted properties. Then (as it is said) bottle and store
it. It is enough to boil the dry resin for one whole day and
then store it. When thus burnt these are good to give a
sweet smell to warm compresses and remedies to remove
fatigue, as well as to colour ointments. Soot is also taken
from resins as well as thus [1-81] which is good mixed
with medicines to make the eyelids pleasing, for gnawed-
around eye corners, for the membranes of the eyelids,
and for weeping eyes. Ink with which to write is also
made from it.
1-94. PISSA UGRA
suggested: Pinus mughus, Pinus nigra, Pinus maritima,
Pinuspinea, Pinus rigida, Peuce — Pitch Pine
P ix liquida (also called con uni) is gathered from the
fattest wood of the pitch and pine trees. They reckon
the best is glittering, smooth and clean. A wine cupful
(taken with honey in a tinctus [syrup]) is good in
antidotes for poisoning, pulmonary consumption
[wasting disease], purulent abnormal growths, coughs,
asthma, and fluids that are difficult to cough up from the
chest. It is good rubbed on with rosaceum [1-53] for
inflammation of the tonsils and uvula, as well as for
angina [spasmodic pains] and purulent [pus-filled] ears.
For snakebite it is applied with salt (ground fine). Mixed
with the same amount of wax it draws off pitted nails,
and dissolves tubercles [growths] on the vulva and
hardness on the perineum. Boiled with barley meal and
the urine of a boy it breaks up tumours [possibly goitre].
Rubbed on with sulphur, pine bark or bran it stops
snakebite ulcers. Mixed with manna of thus [1-81] and
waxy ointments and rubbed on it heals twisting ulcers,
and is good for split feet and a split perineum, and with
honey it f i ll s up ulcers and cleans them. With raisins of
97
GUMS from TREES
the sun and honey it covers carbuncles [infected boils]
[malignant skin tumours] and rotten ulcers with scars. It
is also effective mixed with antiseptic plasters.
1-95. PISSELAION
suggested: Pinus mughus, Pinus nigra, Pinus maritima,
Pinus pinea, Pinus rigida, Peuce — Pitch Pine
P icinum is made from the watery matter of pitch which
swims on top (like whey on mil k that has been
separated). This is taken away while boiling the pitch by
laying clean wool over it which is made moist by the
steam ascending up. It is squeezed out into a jar and this
is done for as long as the pitch is boiling. It is available for
the same purposes as liquid pitch. Applied as a poultice
with barley meal it restores hair fallen out from alopecia
[baldness]. Liquid pitch also cures the same, and rubbed
on them it cures boils and scabs on cattle.
1-96. LIGNUOS UGRAS PISSES
suggested: Pinus mughus, Pinus nigra, Pinus maritima,
Pinus pinea, Pinus rigida, Peuce — Pitch Pine
S oot is made from moist pitch. Light a new lamp, put a
portion of pitch into it and cover the lamp with a new
ceramic jar made like a dibinus (above round and narrow
and with a mouth below like ovens have) and let the
lamp burn. When the first liquid pitch is used up put in
more until you have made enough soot, and then use it. It
is sharp and astringent and is used in medicines to make
the eyelids pleasing, for rubbing, and when hair must be
restored to eyelids that are filled with excessive watery
fluids. It is good for weak, weeping, ulcerated eyes.
1-97. PISSA XERA
suggested: Pinus mughus, Pinus nigra, Pinus maritima,
Pinus pinea, Pinus rigida, Peuce — Pitch Pine
D ry pitch is made from decocted liquid pitch. It is also
called palimpissa (that is, pitch boiled again). Some
of this (called boscas ) is sticky like birdlime, and another
98
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
sort is dry. The good dry pitch is pure, fat, smells good,
and is golden underneath and resinous — such as the
Lycian and Brutian which share the two natures of pitch
and resin. It is warming and softening, removing pus,
dispersing tubercula [nodules] and pannus [opaque
thickening of cornea with veins], and filling up ulcers. It
is effective mixed with wound medicines.
1-98. ZOPISSA
SUGGESTED: Resin scraped off ships — Zopissa
S ome call the resin (which together with wax is
scraped off ships) zopissa, and others call it apochyma
as it is soluble because it was steeped in sea water. Some
have called the resin of the pine tree by the same name.
1-99. ASPHALTOS
SUGGESTED: Bitumen — Asphalt — Mineral Pitch [1]
T udean bitumen is better than others. The best shines
I and is purple and heavy with a strong scent, but the
black foul bitumen is worthless for it is adulterated with
added pitch. It is found in Phoenicia, Sidon, Babylon and
Zacynthus. It is also found (moist) swimming on wells in
the country of the Agrigentines (Sicily) which they use
for lamps instead of oil, and which they falsely call
Sicilian oil, for it is a kind of moist bitumen.
1-100. PISSASPHALTOS
SUGGESTED: P issasphaltos — Bitumen — Asphalt
— Mineral Pitch [2]
T here is some called pissasphaltos found in Apollonia
near Epidamnus, which is carried down from the
Ceraunian mountains by the violence of the river and
cast on the shore, growing into knobs which smell of
pitch mixed with bitumen.
99
GUMS from TREES
1-101. NAPHTHA
SUGGESTED: N aptha — Bitumen — Asphalt — Mineral Pitch
[3]
T here is also some called naptha, which is strained
Babylonian asphaltus, white in colour. Some is also
found which is black. It attracts fire because it draws it to
itself from a distance. It is good for bathing eyes and for
white spots on the cornea.
Properties of Asphaltos
All bitumen is able to repress inflammation, close
open cuts and sores, and disperse and soften, and is
effective for congested vulvae and prolapse when
applied, smelled, or the smoke inhaled. Furthermore, it
reveals those troubled with epilepsy if the smoke is
inhaled like [burning] gagate [jet] stone. Taken as a drink
with wine and castoreum [2-26] it draws out the menstrual
flow. It helps obstinate coughs, and those troubled with
asthma and difficult breathing, also snakebites, hip pains
and pains of the side. It is given to those troubled with
colic as a catapotium [pill], and taken as a drink with
vinegar it dissolves clots of blood. It is given melted with
barley water as a suppository to those troubled with
dysentery. It cures dripping mucus if inhaled. Wrapped
around teeth it soothes toothache. Dry bitumen warmed
with a continuous splashing (and so applied) retains hair.
A plaster of it is applied mixed with barley meal, wax and
saltpetre [potassium nitrate] to help those troubled with
podagra [gout], arthritis and lethargy. Pissasphaltos can do
as much as pix [organic pitch] and bitumen mixed
together.
1-102. KUPARISSOS
suggested: Cupressus sempervirens — Cypress
Cupressus funebris — Mourning Cypress, Weeping Cypress,
Funereal Cypress
T he leaves of cypress bind and cool. Taken as a drink
with passu m [raisin wine] and a little myrrh [1-77,
1-73, 4-116] they help frequent painful urination. Pills of it
(bruised and taken as a drink with wine) are good for
100
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
bloody vomit, dysentery, excessive discharges from the
bowels, asthma and coughs. A decoction of it does the
same. Pounded with figs it soothes hardness, and cures
polyps [protruding growths from mucus membrane] in
the nostrils. Boiled with vinegar and pounded into small
pieces with lupins [2-132] it draws off rotten nails. A
poultice of it applied stops rupture of the intestines
[hernia] and the leaves do the same. Pills of it (together
with the filaments) placed smoking like a perfume
[incense] are an insect repellant to drive away mosquitos.
The leaves pounded into small pieces and applied as a
poultice heal wounds. It also staunches blood. Pounded
into small pieces with vinegar it dyes hair. It is applied as
a poultice either by itself or with polenta for erysipela
[streptococcal skin infection], herpes [viral skin infection],
carbuncles [infected boils] [malignant skin tumours] and
inflammation of the eyes. Mixed with a stiff ointment and
applied it strengthens the stomach.
1-103. ARKEOTHOS MEGALE,
ARKEOTHOS MIKRA
suggested: luniperos minor [Fuchs, Brunfels]
Juniperos vulgaris fructiosa [Bauhin] Juniperus excelsa
— Greek Juniper
Arceuthinus [Latin \, Juniperus communis — Juniper
POISONOUS — WOOD
S ome juniper is bigger, some smaller. Either of the
junipers [the bigger and the smaller] are sharp,
diuretic and warming, and when burned the fumes drive
away snakes. One type of the fruit (called the juniper
berry) is the size of a hazelnut, the other equal to a bean
— both round and fragrant, sweet, and a little bitter to
chew. It is mildly warming and astringent, good for the
stomach, good taken in drink for infirmities of the chest,
coughs, gaseousness, griping, and the poisons of
venomous creatures. It is also diuretic; as a result it is
good for convulsions and hernia, and those who have
congested or blocked wombs.
It has sharp leaves, as a result applied as a plaster and
taken as a drink (or the juice taken with wine) they are
good for those bitten by vipers. The bark (burned and
rubbed on with water) removes leprosy, but the scraping
Juniperus communis
after FAGUET — 1880
101
GUMS from TREES
or dust of the wood (swallowed down) kills. There is a
great juniper too, which some call cypressus sylvestris,
some mnesitheus, some acatera, and the Romans juniperus,
and it is known to most like cypress growing for the most
part in rough places and near the sea. It has the same
properties as the former. The lesser juniper some call
archeuthis, some, mnesitheus , others, acatalis, the Africans
zuorinsipet, the Egyptians iibium, the Romans juniperus,
and the Gauls jupicellusum.
1-104. BRATHUS
suggested: Sabina [Fuchs], Sabina folio tamarasci Dioscoridis
[Bauhin], Brathys , Brathus [Latin ],Juniperus sabina [Linnaeus],
H erba sabina — Savin, Sabin
T here are two kinds of savin. One has leaves like
cypress, but is more prickly with a strong smell, and
sharp with a hot nature. The tree is short and extends
itself mostly in breadth. Some use the leaves for perfume.
The other kind has leaves like myrica [1-116]. Applied as a
poultice the leaves of either of them close stomas
[openings] and alleviate inflammation. Similarly, applied
as a plaster with honey, they take away all blackness and
foulness, and they break up carbuncles [infected boils].
Taken as a drink with wine (as well as applied or by
inhalation) they draw out blood through the urine, and
drive out the birth. They are mixed with hot ointments
and in particular with gleucinum [1-67]. Some call it
barathrum, some baryton, and the Romans call it herba
sabina.
1-105. KEDROS, KEDROS MIKRA
suggested: Cedrus libani, Cedrus libanotica, Pinus cedrus,
A bies cedrus, L arix cedrus — Cedar of Lebanon
C edar deodara, L arix deodara, Pina deodara — Deodar,
Himalayan Cedar, Indian Cedar
POISONOUS
T he cedar is a great tree from which cedria [oil of cedar]
is gathered. It has fruit like the cypress but much
bigger. There is another tree called cedar which is less
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THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
prickly than juniper, bearing round fruit as big as myrtle
berries. The best cedrid is thick and very clear with a
strong scent; poured out it falls by drops and is not
diffused. It is able to decay living bodies and is a
preservative of dead ones; as a result some have called it
the life of the dead. It corrupts cloths and skin because it
heats and dries extraordinarily. It is also good for eye
medicines, clearing the sight when rubbed on. It takes
away white spots and scars on the cornea. Dropped in
with vinegar it kills worms in the ears; infused with a
decoction of hyssop [3-30] it quietens their noise and
hissing. Dropped into the cavities of teeth it breaks the
tooth but stops the pain. It does the same used as a
mouthwash with vinegar. Rubbed around the genitals
before sexual union it causes sterility. Those who are
troubled with angina are rubbed with it, and it helps
inflammation of pus-filled tonsils. Rubbed on it kills lice
and nits. A plaster of it applied with salt helps the bite of
the horned viper. It helps for poison of the sea hare [2-20]
taken in a drink with passu m [raisin wine], and it helps
elephantiasis [skin disease]. As much as a wine cupful of
I i rictus [syrup] of it sipped (or the ointment applied) also
purges ulcers of the lungs and cures them. Taken as a
suppository it also kills ascaridae [threadworms] and
other worms, and it extracts the birth [abortifacient]. An
oil is made of the moisture which is separated from the
cedria [oil of cedar] by a fleece laid over it during boiling
(as we have said in the chapter on pitch) good for the
same purposes as cedria. Particularly the oil, strongly
rubbed in, cures scabs on beasts, dogs and oxen; and
when applied it kills ricinos [lice], and heals ulcers on
those which came from shearing. The soot of it is
gathered like that of pitch, and it has the same strength.
The fruit of cedar is called cedrides. It is warming and bad
for the stomach but helps coughs, convulsions, hernia
and slow painful urination. Taken as a drink with pepper
(pounded into small pieces), it dries out the menstrual
flow, and it is taken in wine against the poison of sea hare
[2-20]. Used with deer fat or bone marrow it repels snakes
if the body is rubbed with it. It is also mixed in antidotes.
105
GUMS from TREES
1-106. DAPHNE
suggested: Laurus-Alexandrina [Fuchs], Daphne-Alexandrina
[Brunfels], Ruscus hypoglossum [Linnaeus],
R uscus hippoglossum, U vularia, Baslingua — Laurel of Caesar
[Mabberley], Horse Tongue, Double Tongue
Laurus nobilis — Sweet Bay, Laurel, Roman Laurel
S ome daphne [laurus] is found with a smaller leaf, some
a broader. Both are warming and softening, as a result
a decoction of them is good as a hip bath for disorders of
the vulva and bladder. The green leaves are somewhat
astringent. Pounded into small pieces and applied they
are good for wasp and bee stings. Applied with barley
flour and bread they are able to lessen any inflammation.
Taken as a drink they make the stomach tender and
provoke vomit, but the bay berries heat more than the
leaves. They are good therefore taken in a linctus [syrup]
(after they are pounded into small pieces) with honey or
passu m [raisin wine] for consumption [wasting disease],
asthma and dripping mucus around the chest. They are
also taken as a drink with wine against scorpion stings,
and they remove vitiligines [form of leprosy]. The juice of
the berries helps earache and hardness of hearing
dropped into the ears with old wine and rosaceum [1-53].
It is mixed with recipes for medicines to remove fatigue,
with hot ointments, and with those which disperse. The
bark of the root breaks stones [kidney, urinary], is an
abortifacient, and is good for liver disorders — half a
teaspoon taken as a drink with fragrant wine. It is also
called danaben, Stephanos (as we should say a crown),
daphnos, mythracice, mithrios, or hypoglossion.
1-107. PLATANOS
suggested: Platanus orientalis — Oriental Plane
T he tender leaves of platanus (boiled in wine and
applied as a poultice) stop discharges of the eyes, and
alleviate oedema and inflammation. The bark (boiled in
vinegar) is a lotion for toothache. The green filaments
(taken as a drink with wine) help those bitten by snakes.
Used in animal fat they cure burns. The down of the
leaves and filaments hurts the hearing and sight.
106
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-108. MELIA
suggested: M elia azadirachta, M dia indica, Azadirachta indica
— Persian Lilac, Pride of India, Indian Lilac
? POISONOUS
M dia is a well-known tree, the leaves of which (and
their juice) taken as a drink with wine (and applied
as a poultice) help those bitten by vipers. The bark
burned and rubbed on with water removes leprosy; but
the thin membranous scales of the wood (taken in a
drink) are reported to be deadly.
1-109. LEUKE
suggested: Leucadendron argenteum, M yrtus leucadendron
— Silver Tree
M dal euca leucadendron, M elaleuca cajputi — Punk Tree,
Cajeput Oil Tree
O ne ounce of the bark of the leuke tree (taken as a
drink) helps sciatica [pains in hips; sciatic nerves]
and slow painful urination. Taken as a drink with a
mule's kidney it is reported to take away conception
[abortifacient]; and the leaves of it taken in a drink with
wine (after the menstrual flow) are said to do the same.
The lukewarm juice of the leaves is good dropped in the
ears for earache. The filaments which put out at the first
sprouting of the leaves, bruised small and rubbed on with
honey, cure moisture of the eyes. Some say that the bark
of the white and the black leuke, cut into pieces of a small
size and scattered (or as it were sown) in beds that are
dunged, brings forth edible mushrooms at any time of
the year.
109
GUMS from TREES
1-110. MAKER
suggested: M yristica moschata — Nutmeg Tree, Mace
bark is a yellow-saffron colour
M acer is a bark brought out of Barbary, a pale yellow,
thick and according to the taste very astringent. It
is taken as a drink for spitting-up blood, dysentery, and
excessive discharges of the bowels.
1-111. PTELEA
UNKNOWN
[modern usage] Ptelea trifoliata — Hop Tree, Shrubby Trefoil,
Wafer Ash [exotic]
T he leaves, branches and bark of ptelea are all
astringent. The leaves, pounded into small pieces
with vinegar and so applied, are good for leprosy and
heal wounds; but especially the bark, if it is wrapped
around like a bandage, for it is flexible like a girdle. An
owner [?uncia- ounce] of the thicker bark (taken in a drink
with wine or cold water) expels phlegm. A decoction of
the leaves or bark of the roots, applied with hot cloths,
consolidates by drawing a cal I urn [hard skin] over the
fracture of a bone sooner. The moisture which is found in
the bladders [undeveloped fruit] at their first sprouting
clears the face when rubbed on it. The same moisture,
dried, is formed into little creatures like gnats. The newly-
emerged leaves are used for sauce like vegetables.
1-112. SAPROTES XYLON
SUGGESTED: Dry Rot
T he rotten stuff like meal which is gathered out of old
wood and stocks of trees cleans ulcers and brings
them to scar when it is laid on them. It also stops serpent! a
[?snakebite] kneaded together with the same amount of
anise [3-65] and wine, as well as pounded into small
pieces, put into linen and applied.
no
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-113. AIGEIROS
suggested: A egiceras majus — River Mangrove
also: A stragalus aegiceras
see 4-62
T he leaves of aigeiros applied with vinegar help gouty
pains, and its resin is mixed with softening
medicines. The seed (taken as a drink with vinegar) is
good for epilepsy. It is also reported that the oozing
which trickles down from them near the river Padus
grows hard and becomes amber, called chrysophorum by
some. This yields a sweet smell when rubbed and looks
like gold. Ground finely and taken as a drink it stops
excessive discharges of the stomach and bowels.
1-114. KALAMOS NASTOS, SURIGGIOS,
DONAX, PHRAGMITES
suggested: D endrocalamus strictus — Male Bamboo
D on ax arundinaceus, A rundo donax — Giant Reed, Bamboo,
Bamboo Reed, Cane
Bambusa arundinacea — Common Bamboo
Phragmites communis, A rundo phragmites, A rundo vulgaris
— Common Reed, Dutch Reed
Calamus rotang — Rattan Cane, Chair-bottom Cane
Syringia vulgaris — Common Lilac, Pipe Tree
O ne kind of calamus from which arrows are made is
called nastos, the other is the female from which
bindings are made for the tibia [pipe or flute]. Another is
called syringias — with much flesh [or pith], very knotty,
fit for writing books [paper]. Another is thick and hollow,
growing around rivers, called donax and cypria by some.
Another is called phragmites — thin, inclined to
whiteness, known to all — whose root (bruised,
crumbled and applied either by itself or with bulbus
[2-200]) draws out splinters and thorns. It soothes limbs
that are out of joint, and pains of the loins [digestive or
procreative, lower torso] with vinegar. The green leaves
(pounded and applied) heal erysipeia [streptococcal skin
infection] and other inflammations. The bark (burned
and applied with vinegar) cures alopecia [baldness]. The
113
GUMS from TREES
paniculae flos [flowers] of the calami [reeds] falling into the
ears cause deafness. The harundo [reed] called cypria has a
similar effectiveness.
1-115. PAPUROS
suggested: Cyperus papyrus, Papyrus antiquorum — Papyrus,
Nile Papyrus, Paper Reed
P apyrus from which paper is made is known to
everyone. It has particular use in medicine for
opening the mouth of fistulas [tubular ulcers]. It is
prepared (steeped in some liquid) and a linen thread tied
around it until it is dry. Straightened and put in the fistula
it is filled with moisture, and upon swelling it opens the
fistula. The root is somewhat nourishing. As a result the
Egyptians chew it, suck out the juice, and spit out that
which they have chewed. They also use it instead of
wood. Papyrus, burnt until it turns it into ashes, restrains
erosive ulcers in the mouth and other places, but burnt
paper does this better.
M yrica gale
after FAGUET — 1880
1-116. MURIKE, MURRIS
suggested: Tamarix , Tamarix sylvestris,
Tamarix sylvestris foemina [Fuchs],
Tamarix fructiosa folio crassiovesiveGermanica [Bauhin]
Tamarix articulata, Tamarix germanica [Linnaeus],
Tamarix myrica, Tamarix gallica, M yricaria germanica
— Tamarisk
[other usage] Sweet Gale — M yrica gale
M urra, murrha, myrrha - a substance from which precious vases and other vessels are
made.
M yrica or myrris is a well-known tree, growing in
marshy grounds and standing waters, with a fruit
as a flower, of a mossy consistency. Some of it is planted
in gardens in Egypt — in other things like the wild, but it
bears fruit like a gall [excrescence on oak trees], unequally
astringent to the taste, and used instead of galls in
medicines for the mouth, eyes and spitting of blood. It is
given in drink to women troubled with colic, those who
have a flowing-forth from the vulva or sickness of the
114
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
head, and for those bitten by phalangii [harvest spiders].
Applied as a poultice it stops oedema. The bark does the
same things, as well as the fruit. A decoction of the leaves
(taken as a drink with wine) melts the spleen, and
gargled in the mouth it helps toothache. For hip baths it is
good for women troubled with a discharge of fluids from
the vulva, and a heated rub of it is good for those with lice
and nits. Ash from the wood (applied) stops flows from
the uterus. There are some who make cups from the
wood which they use for those troubled with spleen (as
though the drink given them from such cups should do
them good).
1-117. EREIKA
suggested: Erice [Fuchs], Erica vulgaris glabra [Bauhin],
Calluna vulgaris [in Sprague] — Heath
E rica is a shrubby tree like myrica [1-116] (but a great
deal smaller) the flowers of which the bees use, but
they make honey with it that is not good. The leaves and
flowers applied as a poultice heal snakebites.
1-118. AKAKALIS
UNKNOWN
A cacalis is the fruit of a shrub growing in Egypt,
similar to the fruit of the myrica [1-116]. A dilution of
it is mixed with eye medicines which are good for
sharpening the sight.
1-119. RAMNOS TRISSUS
suggested: Uva-crispa [Fuchs], G rossularia simplici acino,
Spinosa sylvestris [Bauhin], Ribes uva-crispa [Linnaeus],
R ibes g rossularia [Mabberley] — Gooseberry
[other usage] Common Buckthorn, Purging Buckthorn
— R hamnus catharticus
R hamnus is a shrub (growing around hedges) with
upright stems and sharp thorns like oxyacantha, and
the leaves are small, somewhat long, thick and soft. There
117
GUMS from TREES
is another besides this that is paler, and a third having
darker and broader leaves, a little inclined to red; with
long stems of five feet and more, thorny, with its hairs
less strong and stiff. The fruit of it is broad, white and
thin, shaped like a little pouch or whorl. The leaves of all
of them are effective rubbed on for erysipelas
[inflammatory skin disease] and herpes [viral skin
infection]. It is said that the branches laid in gates or
windows drive away the enchantments of witches. [If
anyone picks up rhamnus while the moon is decreasing
and holds it, it is effective against poison and mischief;
and it is good for beasts to carry it around them; and for it
to be put around ships; and it is good against headaches;
and against devils and their assaults.]
It is also called persephonion, or leucacantha, the
Romans call it spina alba, some, spina cerualis, and the
Africans call it atadin.
1-120. ALIMOS
suggested: A triplex halimus, Chenopodium halimus
— Sea Purslane, Sea Orach
see 2-145
H alimus is a hedge-shrub like rhamnus [above] —
somewhat white, without filaments. The leaves
almost resemble those of the olive tree, yet they are
broader and more tender. It grows in maritime places
and hedges. The leaves are boiled like vegetables with
meat. One teaspoon of the root (taken as a drink with
honey and water) alleviates convulsions, hernias and
griping, and causes an abundance of mil k [in
breastfeeding]. It is also called damassonium, erymon,
britannica, rabdion, a sort of little twig, basil ion, or a sort of
regia. The Magi call it mercurii basis, or sapsis, some, osiridis
diadema , others, heliostephanon, a sort of corona of the sun
or sacer caulis. Pythagoras calls it anthenoron, the
Egyptians, asontiri, some, asphe, asealuri, or asariphen, the
Romans, albucus, and some, ampelucia.
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THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-121. PALIOUROS
suggested: Paliurus aculeatus, Paliurus australis,
Paliurus spina-Christi, R hamnus paliurus — Christ's Thom,
Jerusalem Thorn, Garland Thorn
P aliurus is a well-known shrub, prickly and strong.
The fat seed is found blackened with fungus. Taken
in a drink it helps coughs, breaks stones [urinary] in the
bladder, and is good for the stings of snakes. The leaves
and root are therefore astringent; a decoction of them
(taken as a drink) regulates the bowels, draws out urine,
and is good against poison and the bites of venomous
beasts. The root pounded into small pieces and applied as
a plaster dissolves all new tubercula [nodules] and oedema.
1 - 122 . OXUAKANTHA
suggested: Oxyacantha, Berberis [Fuchs],
Berberis dumetorum [Bauhin], Berberis vulgaris [Linnaeus]
— Barberry
[other usage] Lac Sumach — R hus oxyacantha
Hawthorn, White Thorn, May Bush, Quick
— Crataegus oxyacantha
O xyacantha is a tree like a wild pear tree, but smaller
and very prickly. It bears a fruit like myrtle — full,
red, easily broken — with a kernel within, and a deep
root divided into many parts.
Taken in a drink or eaten, the fruit stops stomach
outflows and the flows of women. The root bruised small
and applied draws out splinters and thorns. It is said that
the root is able to cause abortions, the stomach being
touched gently with it or rubbed with it. It is also called
pyrin a, or pytyanthe.
1-123. KUNOSBATON
suggested: Rubus caninus, Cynobatus, Rosa canina
— Dog Rose, Hiprose, Canker Flower, Dog Briar
C ynosbatus [dogs' bush] (also called oxyacantha) is a
shrub much bigger than a common bush — almost
the size of a tree. It bears leaves a great deal broader than
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GUMS from TREES
myrtle, and has strong hairs around the sprigs, white
flowers, and somewhat long fruit like the kernel of the
olive. When this is ripe it grows red and the stuff within is
downy. The dried fruit stops discharges from the
intestines (the downy stuff of it is taken out for this is
worthless for the arteries). It is made hot in wine and
taken as a drink.
1-124. KUPROS
suggested: Cyprus, Cypre, Law sonia inermis, Law sonia alba
— Henna, Egyptian Privet
C yprus is a tree with leaves on the sprigs like the olive,
but broader, softer and greener; the flowers white
and mossy with a sweet smell, and the seed black like the
fruit of sambucus [4-174], The best grows in Ascalon and
Canopus. The leaves are astringent, as a result they are
chewed to help ulcers in the mouth, and applied as a
poultice they cure all other hot inflammations and
carbuncles [malignant tumours]. A decoction of them is
used as a warm pack for those burnt by fire. The leaves,
pounded into small pieces, are steeped in the juice of
Struthium [2-193] and rubbed on to dye the hair yellow.
The flowers (pounded into small pieces and applied the
forehead with vinegar) cause headaches to cease. The
ointment cyprinum [1-65] that is prepared from it
becomes heating and softens the tendons. It has a sweet
smell which it adds to hot medicines when it is mixed
with them.
1-123. PHILLUREA
SUGGESTED: Phillyrea latifolia — Mock Privet, Jasmine Box
P hillyrea is a tree like Cyprus [1-124] in size. Its leaves are
like those of the olive tree but broader and darker. It
has fruit like the lentisk [1-90] — black, somewhat sweet,
lying in bunches like grapes. It grows in rough places.
The leaves are astringent like those of the wild olive
[1-37], effective for things that need astringency
especially ulcers in the mouth, either chewed or the sores
washed with a decoction of it. Taken as a drink it draws
out urine and the menstrual flow.
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THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-126. KUSTOS ARREN, KUSTOS
THELUS
suggested: Cistus ellipticus, H elianthemum chamaecistus,
H elianthemum vulgare — Common Rockrose, Sunrose
Cistus creticus, Cistus vuigaris,Cistus polymorphus
— Cretan Rockrose
C istus (also called cistharon or cissaron ) is a shrub
which grows in rocky places. It has many low
branches full of round, black, rough leaves. The flowers
of the male are like the pomegranate, but the female are
white. It has an astringent quality; as a result the flowers
(pounded into small pieces and taken as a drink twice a
day in sharp wine) are good for dysentery. Applied as a
poultice by themselves they stop gangrenous ulceration
of the cheeks, and with a stiff ointment they heal burns
and old ulcers.
1-127. UPOKUSTIS, UPOKISTIS ETERA
suggested: Cytinus hypocistis — Hypocistis
parasitic plant — contains gallic acid
H ypocistis grows around the roots of the cistus [rock
roses] like cytinus on the pomegranate. Some of it is
yellow, some green, some white. It is juiced like acacia,
but some dry and break it, then steep and boil it, and do
other things to it in the same way as iycium [1-132], It is
similar in strength to acacia, yet more astringent and
drying — good for those troubled with colic, dysentery,
blood-spitting, or women's excessive discharges — taken
either as a drink or infused. It is called robethrum, or
cytinus by some. The Africans call it phyllesade.
1-128. LAD ANON
suggested: Ladanum, Labdanum, Cistus iadaniferus,
Cistus creticus — Gum Cistus, Ladanum Resin Tree
Cistus I edon — Many-flavoured Gum Cistus
T here is also another kind of cistus, called ledum by
some. It is a shrub growing in the same way as cistus.
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GUMS from TREES
but it has longer, darker leaves, acquiring some fat in the
spring. The strength of the leaves is astringent, doing all
the things that cistus does. That which we call ladanum is
made from this plant. The he-goats and she-goats feed on
the leaves of it and evidently carry away the fat from
them on their beards and thighs because it has a viscous
nature. This is taken off, strained, fashioned into little
balls and stored. Some draw little cords across the shrubs,
take off the greasy matter that adheres to them and shape
it. The best has a sweet smell, is somewhat green, easily
softened, fat, without sand — not foul and resinous such
as that growing in Cyprus — but the Arabic and Libyan
has less value.
It is astringent, warming and softening, and opens
closely-touching [blood] vessels. It prevents hair falling
out [alopecia] mixed with wine, myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116]
and oil of myrtle. Rubbed on with wine it makes scars
look more handsome. It cures earache dropped in the
ears with honey water or rosaceum [1-53]. The smoke is
inhaled to expel the afterbirth, and mixed in a pessary it
cures hard lumps in the womb. It is effective in
pain-relievers, cough medicines and warm compresses.
Taken as a drink with old wine it stops discharges of the
bowels, and it is also diuretic.
1-129. EBENOS
suggested: D iospyros ebenum — Ceylon Ebony
E benus cretica, Anthyllis cretica — Cretan Silver Bush
T he Ethiopian ebenus [ebony] is best — black, without
veins, as smooth as a horn that has been polished —
which shows thick [close or compact] when broken,
biting to the taste and gently astringent. Laid on coals
and burnt like incense it yields a sweet smell without
smoke. That which is new when put on fire is quickly
kindled because of its fat, and it turns somewhat yellow
on a whetstone. There is another (called Indian) with
streaks of white and yellow running between as well as
many spots. But the former is better. Some sell the wood
of sesame and acanthus (because they are somewhat
similar) as ebenus. They are known by this: — they are
hollow like a sponge, and are formed into small pieces
inclining to a purple colour with nothing biting in the
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THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
taste nor sweet-smelling when burnt. E ben US cleans away
things which darken the pupils of the eyes, and it is good
for old discharges and pustules. If anyone makes a
grinding pad of it, and uses it to rub eye salves or
suppositories on they will work better. It is made into eye
medicines: the scrapings or dust from it steeped in Chian
[from Scios in the Aegean sea] wine for a day and a night,
then carefully pounded and converted into eye salves or
suppositories. Some beat it first, then sift it and proceed
in the same way. Some use water instead of wine. It is also
burnt in a new ceramic jar until it becomes coals, and is
then washed like burnt lead [5-96]. This is good for
itching eyes and dry inflammation of the eyes.
1-130. RHODON
suggested: R osa, R osa hortensis et sylvestris [Fuchs],
R osa rubra [Bauhin], R osa gallica [Linnaeus]
— Common Rose, French Rose
R odon [roses] cool and are astringent, and dried roses
are more astringent. The juice must be pressed out of
them whilst they are still young, first cutting off that
which is called the nail (which is the white that is in the
petal), and the rest must be pounded and pounded in the
shade in a mortar until it becomes thick, and then put in
jars for eye salves or suppositories. The leaves are also
dried in the shade. They must be turned over now and
then least otherwise they putrefy or grow mouldy. Dried
roses (boiled in wine and strained) are good for
headaches, as well as the eyes, ears and gums, and pain of
the perineum, intestine, rectum and vulva, applied with
a feather or washed with the liquid. The same (without
straining) bruised, boiled and applied, are good for
inflammation of the area below the ribs, moistness of the
stomach and erysipela [streptococcal skin infection], Roses
(dried and pounded into small pieces) are sprinkled on
the thighs. They are put in compositions called antherae
[medicines extracted from flowers] and in wound
antidotes. They are burnt for medicines to make the
eyelids look pleasing. The part of the flower that is found
in the middle of the roses (dried and sprinkled on) is
good for gum discharges. The heads [hips] (taken in a
drink) stop loose intestines and blood-spitting.
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GUMS from TREES
1-131. RHODIDES
suggested: Rhodides, Rosa,Rosa hortensis, Rosa sylvestris
[Fuchs], Rosa rubra [Bauhin] , R osa ga/lica [Linnaeus]
— Pomanders of Roses, Common Rose, French Rose
P omanders of roses (which they call rhodides) are made
in the following way. Take forty teaspoonfuls of
fresh roses (which are beginning to fade) before they
have absorbed any moisture, ten teaspoonfuls of Indian
nard [1-6] and six teaspoonfuls of myrrh [1-77, 1-73,
4-116]. These are pounded into small pieces and made
into little balls the size of half a teaspoonful, dried in the
shade, and stored in a jar made without pitch, tightly
corked all around. Some also add two teaspoons of costus
[1-15] and as much Illyrian iris, also mixing in Chian
[from Scios in the Aegean sea] wine with honey. This is
used around women's necks instead of necklaces, dulling
the unsavoury smell of sweat. They use the same
(pounded into small pieces) in medicines made to repress
sweat, and in ointments to rub on after bathing; and
when they have dried on the skin they are washed off
with cold water.
1-132. LUKION
SUGGESTED: Lycium europaeum — European Box Thorn
Lycium lanceolatum, Rhamnus infectorius [Matthiolus]
— Spear-leaved Box Thorn
L ycium (also called pyxacantha ) is a thorny tree with
stems of three feet or longer around which the leaves
grow thickly, similar to box. It has a black fruit similar to
pepper — bitter, thick, smooth; a pale bark also similar
when moistened, and many winding and woody roots. It
grows abundantly in Cappadocia, Lycia and many other
places. It loves rough places. The juice is drawn out of the
leaves and shrubby stuff, pounded together and steeped
for many days. Then it is boiled, the woody matter of it
removed, and the liquid boiled again until it becomes the
consistency of honey. It is counterfeited by the sediment
of oil being mixed with it when boiled, or the juice of
wormwood [3-26], or an ox gall. The froth which swims
on top during boiling is taken off and bottled for eye
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THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
medicines, but the rest is used for other purposes.
Similarly, juice is made from the fruit pressed out and left
in the sun. The best lycium takes fire and as it is quenched
has a red foam. It is outwardly black but when it is cut
yellow, without a stinking smell, astringent with
bitterness, the colour of saffron — such as the Indian
which is better than the rest and more effective. It is
astringent and removes things that darken the pupils. It
heals scabs on the eyelids, their itching and old
discharges. Rubbed on it is good for pus-filled ears,
tonsils, ulcerous gums, chapped lips, cracks in the
perineum, and affritus [chafing] of the perineum. It is
good for those troubled with colic and dysentery either
taken as a drink or given as a suppository. It is given in
water to those who spit-up blood, and those troubled
with coughs, and is swallowed down like pills or taken as
a drink with water for one bitten by a mad dog. It makes
hair look yellow. It heals hangnails, whitlows, shingles
and putrefying ulcers. It stops the menstrual flows of
women. It helps those bitten by mad beasts, taken as a
drink with milk or swallowed down like pills.
It is said that the Indian lycium is made of a shrub
called I on chi ti s [3-161, 3-162], But it is a kind of thorn that
has many upright stems, three feet long or more, growing
out of the bottom, thicker than the bush, the broken bark
looking red but the leaves similar to those of the olive
tree. Boiled in vinegar and taken as a drink it is said to
cure inflammation of the spleen and sickness of the head,
and to expel women's flows. Given raw (pounded into
small pieces) and taken in a drink it is said to have a
similar effect. One half-wineglass of the seed (taken in
drink) purges out watery matter, and is an antidote
against deadly medicines.
1-133. AKAKIA
suggested: A cacia, A kakia, A cacia Senegal , A cad a arabica,
A cacia nilotica, M imosa arabica, A cacia gummifera,
M imosa gummifera, A cacia stenocarpia — Gum Arabic
A cacia catechu, M imosa catechu, M imosa catechoides
— Black Cutch, Kutch [Catcho or Kat 16th century]
A cacia grows in Egypt. It is a thornbush with many
branches, growing almost to the size of a tree. It does
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GUMS from TREES
not grow upright; it has a white flower, and the fruit lies
in pods like lupin [2-132], From this a juice is pressed out
and dried in the shade. It looks black if it is made of the
ripe fruit, but a pale yellow if it is made of the unripe.
Choose that which is a little yellow, sweet-smelling, as far
as is fit in acacia. Some juice the leaves together with the
fruit. There is also a gum that comes out of this thorn
which is astringent and cooling. The juice is good for eye
diseases, erysipela [streptococcal skin infection], creeping
sores, chilblains, pterygium [membrane on eye], ulcers of
the mouth, and falling [sunken] eyes. It stops the flows of
women as well as prolapse of the vulva. It is therapeutic
for the bowels taken as a drink or a suppository, and it
dyes hair black. Pounded with water it is a wash for eye
diseases. That which coalesces is then poured out (until
the water remains clean) and is made up into little balls. It
is burnt in an unfired clay jar in a furnace until the jar
itself is thoroughly burned. It is burnt on coals, the fire
kept kindled with bellows. A decoction of the thorns
closes together loose joints applied with hot cloths. The
gum of the thorns is the best — which is vermicuiatum —
resembling glass, transparent, not woody; next to this is
the white gum; but that which is resinous and foul is
useless. It is able to close pores and dull the strength of
sharp medicines with which it is mixed. Daubed on with
an egg it does not allow burns to break out into pustules.
Another acacia grows in Cappadocia and Pontus,
similar to the Egyptian but a great deal smaller, growing
low and being more tender, surrounded crosswise with
filaments, and having leaves similar to rue [3-52, 3-53]. In
the autumn it bears seed somewhat smaller than lentil, in
pods joined together each containing three or four seeds
apiece. The juice of this (drawn out of the whole plant) is
therapeutic for the bowels, but is of less strength and
useless in eye medicines.
1-134. AMORGE
SUGGESTED: A murca — Sediment of Olive Oil
A murca is the sediment of oil which has been pressed
out and boiled in a jar made of Cyprian brass until it
is the consistency of honey. It is therapeutic for the
bowels, and rubbed on with wine, vinegar, or honeyed
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THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
wine is as effective as lycium [1-132] for toothaches and
wounds. It is mixed with medicines that are good for the
eyes and for closing pores. Growing old it becomes better.
Taken as an infusion it is good for the perineum, the
genitals, and ulcerated vulvas. It extracts spoiled teeth,
boiled to the consistency of honey with unripe olive oil
and smeared around them. It heals scabs on beasts
[veterinary] rubbed on with a decoction of lupins [2-132]
and chamaeleon [3-10, 3-11]. Used without boiling and
new in a warm pack it assists those troubled with gout in
their feet and joints. Put onto a fleece and applied on
those who have dropsy it represses the swelling.
1-135. AGNOS
suggested: Vitex agnus-castus — Agnus Castus, Hemp Tree,
Chaste-tree
A gnus [vitex] is a shrub almost as high as a tree bearing
long sprigs, growing near and in watery fields and
in rough and uneven places. It is hard to break and the
leaves are similar to those of the olive tree yet more
tender and bigger. Some of them bear white flowers
inclining to purple, others purple flowers; and the seed is
like that of pepper. It is warming and astringent and the
fruit (taken as a drink) helps those stung by snakes, the
splenetic, and those with dropsy. A teaspoonful (taken as
a drink in wine) brings down mi l k [breastfeeding] and
expels the menstrual flow. It destroys generation [birth
control] and is rubbed on the head bringing on a deep
sleep. A decoction of the herb and seed is good as a hip
bath for disorders and inflammation around the womb.
The seed (taken in a drink with pulegium [3-36], or the
smoke inhaled or applied) causes purgation. It dissolves
headaches applied as a poultice, and is gently poured on
the lethargic and mentally ill with vinegar and oil. The
leaves either smoked and inhaled or scattered around
drive away venomous creatures, and applied as a
poultice they help those stung by such beasts. Applied
with butter and vine leaves they soothe hardness of the
testes [old English: ovaries]. The seeds smeared on with
water lessen cracks in the perineum, and with the leaves
it heals dislocated joints and wounds. It is thought to be a
preventative for chafing and blisters if anyone (as he
137
GUMS from TREES
travels) holds a rod of it in his hand. It is called agnus
because in the sacrifices to Ceres the chaste matrons used
it for sprinkling under them; and it is called iygos (that is,
vimen) because of the difficulty of breaking the stems. It is
also called agon on (as we should say, unfruitful or barren),
or lygon, a sort of vimen [producing long flexible shoots],
amictomiaenon, or tridactylon; the Magi call it semnon, a sort
of venerandum [to be respected]; it is also called sanguis
ibis, the Egyptians call it sum, the Romans, salix marina,
others call it piper agreste, and some, ligusticum.
1-136. ITEA
suggested: Primum salicis genus, Alterum salicis genus [Fuchs],
Salix purpurea, Salix vitellina, Salix repens [Linnaeus]
— Creeping Willow [Mabberley]
[other usage] Itea Hid folia, Itea virginica, Itea riparia
I tea is a tree known to all whose fruit, leaves, bark and
juice are astringent. The leaves pounded into small
pieces and taken in a drink with a little pepper and wine
help those troubled with iiiaca passio [painful intestinal
obstruction]. Taken by themselves with water they cause
inconception [birth control]. The fruit (taken in a drink) is
good for those who spit blood, and the bark does the
same. Burnt and steeped in vinegar it takes away calluses
and corns, rubbed on them. The juice from the leaves and
bark warmed with rosaceum [1-53] in a cup of malum
punicum [pomegranate] helps sores in the ears, and a
decoction of them is an excellent warm pack for gout. It
also cleans away scurf [eczema]. A juice is taken from it at
the time of its flowering, the bark being cut, for it is found
coalesced within. It has the ability to clean away things
that darken the pupils.
138
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-137. AGRIELAIA
SUGGESTED: 0 lea europaea var oleaster — Wild Olive
Elaeagnus angusti folia— Oleaster, Oil Tree,
Zakkoum Oil Plant
Elaeis guineensis — Oil Palm
Cotinus coggyria, Rhus cotinus — Venetian Sumach,
Smoke Tree
T he wild olive tree (also called cot i non or the Ethiopian
olive tree) has leaves of an astringent nature which
— pounded into small pieces and so applied — are able to
restrain erysipela [streptococcal skin infection], shingles
[herpes], epin yetis [pustules which appear only at night],
carbuncles [malignant tumours], gangrenous ulceration,
hangnails and whitlows; and (applied with honey) to
take away scabs. They clean foul ulcers and dispel pain
and inflammation. Applied with honey they retain skin
that was torn on the head. They also heal ulcers in the
mouth and apthae [thrush in children or candidiasis]
when chewed. Their juice and a decoction of them does
the same. The juice applied stops eruption of the blood,
the flows of women, staphylomata [inflammatory
protrusion of the cornea] in the eyes, and pustules [pus
under skin], as well as ulcers and old dripping fluids. As a
result put into eye salves they are good for ulcers of the
eyelids. To extract the juice you must beat the leaves into
small pieces and pour in wine or water, then strain it out,
and having dried it in the sun, make it up into little balls.
That which is strained out with wine is far stronger and
fitter to be kept in store than that which is strained out
with water. It is good for ulcerous ears that are full of
discharges. The leaves smeared on with barley meal are
good for coeliac [intestinal complaints]. The leaves (and
this serves instead of spodium, calcined powder) are burnt
together with the flowers in an unfired clay jar the mouth
of which must be well sealed until the jar is thoroughly
baked. Afterwards they are quenched with wine, then
kneaded together again with wine and burnt in the same
way. Afterwards they are washed like cerussa [white lead
ore] and made up into balls. It seems that burnt like this it
comes nothing short of spodium [calcined powder] for eye
medicines; as a result it is to be considered of equal
strength.
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GUMS from TREES
1-138. ELAIA
suggested: 0 lea europaea — Olive
T he leaves of the cultivated olive are good for the same
purposes but have less strength — as a result they are
better for eye medicines because of their mildness. The
moisture which comes out of the burnt green wood
(rubbed on) heals dandruff, parasitic skin diseases and
lichen [papular skin disease]. The fruit applied as a
poultice heals dandruff and gangrenous ulceration of the
cheeks. That which is within the kernel pulls off scabby
nails used with animal fat and corn meal.
1-139. ELAIA KOLUMBADES
suggested: 0 lea europaea — Pickled Olives, Olive
P ickled olives pounded into small pieces and applied
as a poultice will not allow burns to grow into
blisters, and they clean foul ulcers.The liquid of the brine
used as a mouthwash strengthens gums and loose teeth.
The olive which is pale yellow and new is worthless for
the intestines but good for the stomach. That which is
black and ripe is easily spoiled and bad for the stomach,
as well as hurtful to the eyes and a cause of headaches.
Roasted and applied as a poultice it prevents gangrenous
ulceration, and emarginates [removes the edge of]
carbuncles [infected boils] [malignant skin tumours].
1-140. AGRIELAIA ELAION
suggested: 0 lea europaea var oleaster — Wild Olive
T he oil of the wild olive is a mouth rinse for moist
rotten gums, and it settles loose teeth. A warm pack
of it warmed and used as a mouthwash is a suitable
medicine for rheumatic gums, but wool dipped into the
oil must be placed around the gums with an instrument
until they look white.
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THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-141. DAKRUON ELAIAS AITHIOPIKES
suggested: 0 lea europaea var oleaster — Wild Olive
Elaeagnus angusti folia- Oleaster, Oil Tree,
Zakkoum Oil Plant
Elaeisguineensis— Oil Palm
Cotinus coggyria, R hus cotinus — Venetian Sumach,
Smoke Tree
The third pressing of olive oil is also called tree oil.
T he oozing of the Ethiopian olive tree in a way
resembles scammony. It is a deep yellow consisting
of little drops of a biting nature. That which is similar to
gum and ammoniacal — blackish, and not biting to the
taste — is useless. The olive tree and wild olive tree bear
such a gum as this. It is good for moisture of the sight, and
rubbed on it cleans scars and white spots on the cornea of
the eyes. It induces the movement of urine and the
menstrual flow, and it is effective for toothache put into
the cavities. It is categorised among medicines that are
destructive, it expels the birth, and cures impetigo [skin
infection] and lepra [old use — psoriasis]. The wild olive
tree is also called the Ethiopian olive tree.
1-142. DRUS
suggested: Quercus cum longo pediculo [Bauhin],
Quercusrobur [Linnaeus], Q uercus pedunculata,
Q uercus sessiflora — Oak
E ach part of the oak is astringent, but the film which
lies between the bark and the stock (similar to that
under the cup of the acorn) is most therapeutic for the
bowels. A decoction of this is given for coeliac [intestinal
complaints], dysentery, and to blood-spitters, and
pounded into small pieces it is put into suppositories for
women troubled with excessive discharges of the womb.
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GUMS from TREES
1-143. BALANOI
suggested: Quercus robur, Quercuspedunculata,
Q uercus sessi flora, Q uercus aegilops, Q uercus cerris,
Q uercus cocci fera — Acorns, Oak
Quercus ilex, Q uercus ballota — Holly Oak
Quercus infectoria, Quercus lusitanica — Gall Oak, Dyer's Oak,
Nut Gall Oak
A corns produce the same effects as they are also
diuretic. Eaten as meat they cause headaches and
are wind-inducing, but also help poisonous bites. A
decoction of them and their bark (taken as a drink with
cows’ milk) helps poisoning. The unripe ones pounded
into small pieces and applied as a poultice relieve
inflammation. With salted swines' grease they are good
for malignant calluses and injurious ulcers. Those of the
ilex [holly oak — Quercus ilex] have greater strength than
those of the oak.
1-144. PHEGOS, PRINOS
suggested: Fagus sylvatica — Common Beech,
European Beech Tree
[Pliny] Prinus, Quercus ballota — Holm Oak,
Great Scarlet Oak
The fagus of Virgil was the 0 uercus aesculus [Loudon],
F egus and prinus, both a kind of oak, have similar
effects, and the bark of the root of prinus boiled in
water until it becomes tender and rotten and applied for
a whole night dyes the hair black. It is first made clean
with Cimolian earth [5-176]. The leaves of all of them
bruised and pounded into small pieces help oedema, and
strengthen feeble parts.
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THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
FRUIT from TREES
1-145. KASTANA
suggested: Castanea [Fuchs], Castanea sylvestris [Bauhin],
Fagus castanea [Linnaeus], Castanea sativa, Castanea vesca,
Castanea vulgaris— Chestnut, Sweet Chestnut
T he Sardian nuts (also called lopima, castana, mota or
Jupiter's acorns) being astringent also have the same
effects [as other astringents], and especially the loose
skins between the flesh and the shell. The flesh is good
for those who drink ephemerum [4-85] [antidote].
1-146. KEKIDES
suggested: Q uercus lusitanica, Q uercus infectoria
— Dyer's Oak, Gall Oak, Nut Gall Oak
C ecides [gal I a] is a fruit of the oak, of which some is
called omphacitis. It is little, knobby, heavy and
without a hole. Some is smooth and light and has a hole
in it, but the omphacitis ought to be chosen as it is the most
effective. Either of them is strongly astringent. Pounded
into small pieces they stop abnormal growths of the flesh,
and stop discharges of the gums and the middle ear, as
well as ulcers of the mouth. That which is in the middle of
them put into the cavities of teeth eases the pain. Laid on
hot coals until they are set on fire and quenched with
wine, vinegar, or brine made with vinegar they are able
to staunch blood. A decoction of them is good in hip
baths for a prolapsed uterus and for discharges. They
make the hair black steeped in vinegar or water. They are
good for coeliac [intestinal complaints] and dysentery
pounded into small pieces and rubbed on, or taken as a
drink with wine or water, and also mixed with sauce, or
first boiled whole in water (with which you must boil
something else too, of things that are good for people).
Generally where there is need of an astringent, or to stop
or dry, you ought to make use of them.
149
FRUIT from TREES
1-147. ROUS
SUGGESTED: Rhus COriaria — Tanning Sumach
R hus (which is sprinkled among sauces and also called
ery thrum) is the fruit of rhus coriaria, which is called
this because tanners use it for thickening their hides. It is
a little tree which grows on rocks — two feet high, the
leaves somewhat long and red, jagged all around. The
fruit is like little bunches of grapes — thick, the size of
that of terminthos [1-91], and somewhat broad. That
which encloses the fruit is very useful. The leaves are
astringent and good for the same purposes as acacia. A
decoction dyes the hair black, and is a suppository for
dysentery. It is a liquid medicine, hip bath, and an
instillation for discharges of the ears. The leaves applied
as a poultice with vinegar or honey stop pterygium
[membrane on the eye] and gangrene. The juice of the
dried leaves boiled with water to the consistency of
honey are as useful for as many things as lycium [1-132],
The fruit does the same things (being food) in mixing it
with meat for coetiac [intestinal complaints] and
dysentery. Applied as a plaster with water it prevents
inflammation of fractures, desquamation or skin peeling,
and blueness of wounds. It cleans rough tongues with
honey. It prevents the excessive discharges called whites
[leucorrhoea — a mucosal vaginal discharge] and cures
haemorrhoids, applied with oak coals pounded into
small pieces. The boiled liquid of this fruit gathers a
cream that is better for these purposes than the fruit itself.
It also leaves a gum which is put into the cavities of teeth
to take away their pain.
after FAGUET — 1878
Rhus coraria
150
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
FRUIT TREES
1-148. PHOINIX
suggested: Poma, Phoenix dactylifera — Dates, Date Palm
Phoenix sylvestris — Wild Palm
T he palm tree grows in Egypt. The fruit is gathered in
the autumn, the ripening time being half over. It is
similar to the Arabic myrobalan [1-40, 4-160] and it is called
poma. It is a green colour, and similar to cydonium [1-160]
in smell, but if it is left alone until it comes to the full
ripeness it becomes dates. It is sour and astringent and is
taken in a drink with hard wine for discharges from tooth
sockets and the menstrual flows of women. It stops
haemorrhoids and glues wounds together if it is rubbed
on. Fresh dates are more astringent than dried. They
cause headaches and if eaten in too great an abundance
with meat they inebriate. Dried dates eaten with meat are
good for blood-spitting, the stomach, and dysentery. It is
pounded into small pieces with cydonium [1-160] and the
waxy ointment oenanthinum [from vine shoots or
blossoms] and rubbed on for disorders of the bladder.
The caryotae [pips, seeds] heal roughness of the arteries if
eaten.
1-149. PHOINIKES THEBAIKAI
suggested: H yphaen e thebai ca, H yphaen e cocci fera,
Coccifera thebaica, Corypha thebaica, Douma thebaica
— Doum Palm, Gingerbread Tree
A drink of a decoction of the Thebaean palm relieves a
fever's burning heat, and taken with old honey
water it restores the strength. Eaten with meat it does the
same. A wine is also made of it that has the same strength
as the fruit. A decoction taken as a drink alone (and
gargled up and down as well) is strongly astringent. The
seeds of the dates are burnt in a new ceramic jar like all
others are, then quenched and washed in wine. They
serve well instead of spodium [calcined powder] to make
the eyelids pleasing, and if they are not sufficiently burnt
they must be burnt again. They are astringent and close
153
FRUIT TREES
the pores, also being good for pustules in the eyes and
Staphylomata [inflammatory protrusion of the cornea];
and for dripping fluids of the eyelids (some nard [1-6, 1-7,
1-8, 1-10] being mixed with them). With wine they stop
abnormal growths of the flesh and bring ulcers to a scar.
The best seeds come out of Egypt from the low-growing
palms.
1-150. PHOINIX ELATE
suggested: Palma, Elate, Spatha, Phoenix dactylifera
— Palm, Coverings of Date Fruits, Date Palm
Borassus f label lifer — Palmyra Palm, Tal Palm,
Great Fan Palm
yields wine and sugar
P alma which is also called elate or spatha is the
enclosure [or cup] of the fruit of the date trees as yet
flourishing. The dealers in unguents [ointments] use it
for thickening their ointments. The best is
sweet-smelling, astringent, heavy, enclosed, having that
within it fat. It is astringent for stopping feeding ulcers,
and it draws loose joints together if it is pounded into
small pieces and mixed together with warm compresses
and poultices. It is good for the thoracic area [heart], a
stomach that is out of tune, and disorders of the liver,
mixed with poultices suitable for this purpose. A
decoction of it dyes the hair black if it is rubbed on it
repeatedly. Given in drink it is good for inflammation in
the kidneys, and disorders of the bladder and the bowels.
It stops discharges of the intestines and a womb troubled
with an excessive discharge. Boiled whilst it is tender and
applied with rosin and wax for twenty days together it
cures psoriasis. The fruit which is contained inside is
called elate or borassus and that is also astringent and
produces the same effects as spatha [above], except that it
is not so good in ointments. The white marrow of the
stalk (eaten while it is new, or else boiled) is good for the
same things as borassus.
154
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Arbutus unedo
after FAGUET — 1892
155
FRUIT TREES
156
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-151. RHOA
suggested: Punica granatum — Carthaginian Apple,
Pomegranate
A ll sorts of pomegranates have a pleasant taste and
are good for the stomach, yet they do not nourish.
Of these the sweetest are best for the stomach, producing
some heat around the stomach, and are flatulent as a
result unsuitable for those with acute fever. That which is
sharp helps a burning stomach, is more contractive and
more diuretic, but tastes unpleasant to the mouth and is
astringent. That which tastes similar to wine has a middle
strength. The kernel of the sharp one (dried in the sun
then sprinkled on meat and boiled together with it) stops
discharges of the intestines and excessive discharges
from the stomach. Steeped in rain water and taken as a
drink it helps blood-spitters, and is good in hip baths for
dysentery and the fluids of childbirth. The juice of the
kernels (pressed out, then boiled and mixed with honey)
is good for ulcers in the mouth, genitals and perineum;
also for pterygium [membranes, webs] between the
fingers, gangrenous ulcers, abnormal growths in ulcers,
earache, and sores in the nostrils. This helps especially if
the juice is pressed out of the grains of sharp
pomegranates.
Punica granatum
after FAGUET — 1880
1-152. KUTINOI
suggested: Cytini, Punica granatum
— calyx of Pomegranate Flowers
T he flowers of this (which are also called cytini ) are
astringent, drying and restringent, and agglutinate
bloody wounds, being good for the same purposes as
pomegranates. A decoction makes a mouth rinse for
moist flagging gums and loose teeth, and it is put into
poultices as a glue for teeth which are broken, [to repair
the damage]. Some relate that whoever swallows down
three cytini (though ever so little) shall not be troubled
with eye sores all that year. They are juiced like hypocistis
[ 1 - 127 ],
157
FRUIT TREES
1-153. SIDIA
suggested: Sidia, Punica granatum — Pomegranate Rinds
T he rinds of pomegranate (also called sidia ) are also
astringent and good for the same purposes as cytini
[pomegranate flowers]. A decoction of the roots expels
and kill s worms hidden in the intestines.
1-154. BALAUSTION
suggested: Balaustion [Bedevian ], Punica protopun ica
[Mabberley] — Wild Pomegranate Tree
B aiaustium is the flower of wild pomegranate of which
there are many kinds — some white, some red and
some a rosy colour. It is similar to cytini and is juiced in
the same way as hypocistis. It is astringent and good for
the same purposes as hypocistis and cytini [flowers of
pomegranate].
1-155. MURSINE
suggested: M yrtus communis var romana
— Broad-leaved Myrtle
[other usage] M yrsineafricana — African Myrsine
see 4-146
T he cultivated black myrtle is more effective for bodily
uses than the white, and that which grows on the
hills is the best, yet it has the weakest fruit. The herb and
fruit are astringent. Both the green and dried fruit are
given to eat to those who spit blood, and to those
troubled with erosions of the bladder. The juice of green
myrtle pressed out has the same effect, being good for the
stomach and diuretic. It is good with wine for the bites of
harvest spiders and one stung by a scorpion. A decoction
of the fruit dyes the hair. Boiled with wine and applied as
a poultice it heals ulcers that arise in the extremities of the
body. Applied with flour of meal it lessens inflammation
in the eyes. It is rubbed on for ulcers in the inner angle of
the eye. The wine that is made from the fruit, pressed and
boiled a little (for that which is not quickly grows sour)
158
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Juglans regia
after FAGUET — 1892
159
FRUIT TREES
160
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
and taken as a drink beforehand, prevents [the effects of]
excessive indulgence, and is good for the same things as
the fruit. In hip baths it is good for prolapse of the vulva
and perineum, and for women troubled with excessive
menstrual flows from the vulva. It cleans dandruff, scaly
eruptions of the hairy scalp and rashes such as measles,
and it prevents hair falling out.
It is mixed with gentle plasters (which they call I i paras)
as is the oil that is made from the leaves. Similarly a
decoction of the leaves is good for bathing joints that are
loosened, and joints which grow together with difficulty.
For fractures that grow together with difficulty it is
effective applied with hot cloths. It cleans vitiligines [form
of leprosy]. It is dropped in to cure ears full of discharge,
and is used for blackening the hair, and the juice does the
same. The leaves themselves pounded into small pieces
and applied as a poultice with water are good for the
moisture of ulcers, all places subject to excessive
discharges, and for COdidC [intestinal complaints]. Oil of
unripe olives or a little rosaceum [1-53] and wine mixed
together [with this] are good for shingles [herpes],
erysipelas [febrile disease with skin inflammation],
inflammation of the testium [old use: ovaries], epinyctis
[pustules which appear only at night] and joints. The dry
leaves pounded into small pieces are effective scattered
on paronychiae [whitlows], pterygium [membranes, webs],
and on armpits and thighs that are moist, and it prevents
sweats from cardiandi [disease of the heart]. Burnt or else
used raw with stiff ointment they heal burns, pterygium
[membranes, webs] and paronychiae [whitlows]. The
leaves are juiced by pouring old wine or rain water on
them and straining it out. It must be used newly-made for
when old it putrefies and loses its strength.
1-156. MURTIDANON
SUGGESTED: M yrtidanum — Fungal growth on Myrtle
M yrtidanum is that which grows on myrtle —
unequal and standing out, similar to a wart and
the same colour, similar to hands clasping around the
body of the myrtle. It is more therapeutic for the bowels
than myrtle. Bruised and mixed with hard wine and
made into pellets, it is dried in the shade and put in jars to
161
FRUIT TREES
store. It is more effective than the fruit and leaves. It is
mixed with stiff ointments, suppositories, baths,
poultices, and anywhere there is need of an astringent.
1-157. KERASIA
suggested: Cerasus [Fuchs], Prunus cerasus, Cerasus vulgaris,
C erasus acida, C erasus caproniana — Cherry
Cerasus avium, Prunus avium [Linnaeus] — Sour Cherry,
Gean Cherry, Hedge Berry
C erasia that are eaten when fresh are good for the
intestines, and dried they stop discharges of the
bowels. The gum from cerasia heals an old cough taken
with diluted wine. It causes a good colour, sharpness of
sight and appetite. Taken in a drink with wine it is good
for those troubled with kidney stones.
1-158. KERATIA
suggested: Ceratonia siliqua — Carob Tree, Locust Tree,
St John's Bread
T he pods (taken while they are fresh) are bad for the
stomach and loosen the intestines, but dried they
stop discharges of the bowels. They are also better for the
stomach and diuretic, especially combined with the
remains left after pressing out grapes.
1-159. MELEA
suggested: Cotonea malus, Cydonia [Fuchs],
M ala cotonea minora [Bauhin], Pyrus cydonia [Linnaeus],
Cydonia oblonga, Cydonia vulgaris — Quince
M alus communis, M alus sylvestris, Pomus, Pyrus malus — Apple
T he leaves, blossoms and sprigs of all sorts of melea
trees are astringent, especially those of the quince
tree. The unripe fruit is astringent, but if ripe it is not so.
Those apples which are ripe in the springtime encourage
bile, are hurtful to all that is sinewy, and are flatulent.
162
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
163
FRUIT TREES
nt ? AtiellanadomefHca,
164
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-160. KUDONIA
suggested: Cotonea malus, Cydonia [Fuchs],
M ala cotonea minora [Bauhin], Pyrus cydonia [Linnaeus],
Cydonia oblonga, Cydonia vulgaris — Quince
C ydonia are good for the stomach and diuretic. If they
are roasted they become milder and good for
intestinal complaints and dysentery. Raw quinces are
especially good for those who spit up purulent matter
and for biliousness. The water in which these have been
steeped is good as a drink for those troubled with
excessive discharges from the stomach or bowels. The
juice of the raw ones is taken and is good for orthopnoea
[form of asthma], and a decoction is good in warm packs
for prolapse of the perineum and vulva. In honey (or
those preserved in honey) they are diuretic but the honey
takes their strength and becomes astringent. Boiled with
honey they are good for the stomach and pleasant to taste
but less astringent. The same raw fruit is put into plasters
to stop the bowels, as well as for churning and burning in
the stomach, inflamed breasts, spleens that have grown
hard, and for joints. Furthermore after they are well
pounded and pressed a wine is made from them, and so
that it may keep longer there is mixed with it one unit of
honey to sixteen units of juice or else it would go sour.
This is good for all the things previously specified. An
ointment is made of these called melinum which we use
when we need an astringent oil. You must choose out the
right quinces — small and round and with a good scent;
but those which are called struthia [ostrich-like] and are
big are less effective. The dried blossoms as well as the
fresh are suitable in plasters made for things that need an
astringent, and besides this they are good (taken in a
drink of wine) for inflammation of the eyes, bloody
vomiting, tooth sockets that discharge fluids, and attacks
mensium [monthly, menstrual problems].
Cydonia vulgaris
after FAGUET — 1888
165
FRUIT TREES
1-161. MELIMELA
SUGGESTED: M elimela — Honey Apples, Must Apples,
Cider Apples
M el i met a soften the intestines and drive living
creatures from there [worms]. They are bad for the
stomach and cause a burning heat. They are called
glycymela by some — as we should say, sweet apples.
1-162. MELA EPEIROTIKA
suggested: Pyrus pumila, Pyrus praecox — Apple
epirot — one who dwells inland
T he fruit of epirotica (which the Latins call orbiculata)
are good for the stomach and astringent in the
intestines, encouraging urine [diuretic], yet less effective
than quinces.
1-163. AGRIOMELA
suggested: Pyrus malus var sylvestris — Crab Apples,
Wild Apples
W ild apples are similar to spring apples and are
astringent, but for those things which need an
astringent you must use those which are least ripe.
1-164. PERSICA MELA
suggested: Persica [Fuchs], Persica molli carne [Bauhin]
Persica malus, Prunus persica , Persica vulgaris,
A mygdalus persica [Linnaeus] — Peach
Persica mela — Persian fruit
T he fruit of persi ca are good for the stomach and for the
intestines too if ripe, but the unripe are astringent in
the intestines. Dried they are more astringent, and a
decoction of them dried and taken stops a stomach and
intestines troubled with excessive discharges.
166
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Hiber/s*
©Audjblum.
185
H iberis
after FUCHS — 1545
167
FRUIT TREES
Capparis tomentosa
from ENGLER-PRANTL — 1897
168
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-165. ARMENIACA
suggested: Prunus armenaica, Armenaica vulgaris
— Apricot Tree
also: Prunus pseudoarmenaica
T he smaller which are called Armenian and in Latin
praecoqua [premature - ripe before their time] are
better for the stomach than the ripe [above].
1-166. MEDIKA
suggested: Citrus medica var limonum — Lemon
Citrus medica var cedrata — Citron, Adam's Apple,
Cedrat Tree
T hose which are called Median, Persian, or cedromela
and in the Latin citria, are known to all for it is a tree
that bears fruit throughout the whole year one under
another. The fruit itself is somewhat long, wrinkled,
resembling gold in colour, smelling sweet with
heaviness, with seed similar to a pear. Taken as a drink in
wine it is able to resist poisons and SU bdu cere [to draw off]
bowels. A decoction or the juice is a mouth rinse for sweet
breath. It is especially eaten by women [as a remedy]
against their lusting [anaphrodisiac]. The leaves are
thought to preserve cloths from from being motheaten if
they are put into the chests where the cloths are.
1-167. APION
suggested: Pirum, Pyrum, Puroi [Pliny], Pyrus communis
— Cultivated Pear Tree
T here are many kinds of pears and they are all
astringent and therefore fit to put into repellent
poultices. A decoction of the dried ones (or if they are
taken raw) stops discharges of the intestines, but if they
are eaten they hurt those who eat them while fasting.
169
FRUIT TREES
1-168. ACHRAS
suggested: Pyrus communis var achras — Achras, Wild Pear
chras is a kind of wild pear which takes long to ripen.
L JLlt is more astringent than the pear, as a result it is
good for the same purposes. The leaves of it are also
astringent. Ash from the wood effectively helps those
suffocated from eating mushrooms [antidote]. There are
some who say that if anyone boils wild pears together
with mushrooms they become harmless.
1-169. MESPILON
suggested: Pyrus chamaemespilus — Bastard Quince
M espilus germanica, Pyrus germanica — Medlar Tree
M espilus (which is called aronia by some) is a prickly
tree similar in leaves to the oxyacantha, bearing a
sweet fruit similar to a little apple with three stones
within, from which it is also called tricoccos (as we should
say, threefold seed-endowed). It is long in ripening and if
eaten is astringent, good for the stomach, and therapeutic
for the bowels.
1-170. MESPILON ETERON
suggested: M espilus azarolus, Crataegus azarolus
— Azarole Tree, Neapolitan Medlar
T here is another kind of mespilus growing in Italy also
called epi metis or setanium. It is a tree similar to an
apple tree even in the leaves for it is not smaller. This also
has a round edible fruit with a broad navel, somewhat
astringent and slow to ripen.
170
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-171. LOTOS
SUGGESTED: D iospyros lotus — False Lotier, Date Plum
Zizyphus lotus, Rhamnus lotus — Jujube Tree, Lotus Tree,
Wild Jujube, Lotus Jujube
Zizyphus sativa, Zizyphus vulgaris, Zizyphus jujuba,
R hamnus zizyphus — Jujube Tree, Zizyphus, Indian Jujube
T he lotus tree has a stock of good growth and it bears
fruit bigger than pepper — sweet, edible, good for
the stomach, astringent in the bowels. A decoction of the
scrapings or sawdust of the wood (taken as a drink or
suppository) helps dysentery and women troubled with
their menstrual discharges. It also dyes the hair yellow,
and stops loose bowels.
1-172. KRANIA
SUGGESTED: Cornus mas,Cornus mascula — Cornelian Cherry,
Cornel, Dogwood
has wax-coloured fruit
C ran US is a strong tree that bears fruit similar to the
olive — somewhat long, green at first but when ripe
it grows yellow or the colour of wax.
It is edible and astringent, good for excessive
discharges of the intestines and dysentery whether
mixed with sapa [syruped new wine] or eaten with meat.
They are preserved in a pickle like olives. The moisture
from the green leaves is burnt and this is good rubbed on
for lichen [skin disease with red pustules].
1-173. QUA
suggested: Sorbum ovatum [Fuchs], Sorbus sativa [Bauhin],
Sorbus domestica [Linnaeus], Pyrus sorbus — Service Tree
U va which are a yellowish colour and not yet ripe,
first cut apart and dried in the sun, are astringent for
the bowels, ground up and eaten as a meal. It is eaten
instead of polenta, and a decoction of them (taken as a
drink) does the same.
171
FRUIT TREES
1-174. KOKKUMELIA
suggested: Coccymelum [Pliny], Prunus sativa [Fuchs],
Prunus domestica [Linnaeus], Prunus divaricata — Prune Tree,
Plum Tree
Prunus sylvestris [Fuchs, Bauhin],
Prunus silvaticus, Prunus spinosa [Linnaeus]
— Wild Prune Tree
C OCCymelia is a known tree whose fruit is edible and
bad for the stomach, softening the bowels, especially
fruit of those from Syria and those growing in Damascus.
Dried, it is good for the stomach and therapeutic for the
bowels. A decoction of the leaves (used or prepared in
wine and gargled) stops the excessive discharge that falls
on the uva [uvula], gingiva [gums] and tonsils. The fruit of
wild plums dried when it is ripe does the same. Boiled
with sapa [syruped new wine] it becomes better for the
stomach and more astringent to the bowels. The gum of
the plum tree closes open cuts and sores, and taken as a
drink with wine breaks kidney stones. Rubbed on with
vinegar it heals lichen [papular skin disease] on children.
1-175. KOMAROS
suggested: Comaron, Comarus [Latin], A rbutus andrachne,
A rbutus unedo — Fruit of Arbute Tree, Strawberry Tree,
Cane Apples
C omarus is a tree similar to the cotoneae [1-160] fruit
tree with a thin leaf, bearing fruit called memacyla,
the size more or less of a prune, with no kernel. When
ripe it is somewhat a yellowish or reddish colour, chaff.
When eaten it is bad for the stomach and causes
headaches.
172
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
223 Primus fatiua*
PfUuroenbaum.
173
FRUIT TREES
H4* Perfi'^a*.
Pfer firfoaum*
174
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-176. AMUGDALE
suggested: Prunus amygdalus var amara, A mygdalus amara
— Bitter Almond
Prunus amygdalus var dulcis, Prunus communis,
A mygdalus communis — Sweet Almond
RAW BITTER ALMOND SEED IS POISONOUS
T he root of the bitter almond tree bruised and boiled
takes away spots on the face caused by sunburn, as
well as the almonds themselves, applied as a poultice.
Applied to the forehead or temples with vinegar and
rosaceum [1-53] they drive out the menstrual flow and
help headaches. They are good with wine for epinyctides
[pustules which appear at night], rotten ulcers, and
shingles [herpes], and with honey for dog bites. Almonds
if eaten take away pains and soften the bowels, cause
sleep and are diuretic. They are good for bloody vomit
taken with amyl [starch] and mint. They are good for
inflamed kidneys and pneumonia taken as a drink with
water or as a linctus [syrup] with resina terminthos [1-91].
Taken with passu m [raisin wine] they help those troubled
with painful urination and urinary stones. They help
diseased livers, coughs, and inflation of the colon, the
amount of a nut of the avellana [hazel] taken in a linctus
[syrup] with mil k and honey. They keep away
drunkenness if five to seven of them are taken before
indulging. It kill s foxes when they eat it with something
else. The gum of the tree is astringent and heats, and is
taken in drink as a remedy for bloody vomit. Rubbed on
with vinegar it takes away impetigo [skin infection] on the
surface of the skin. Taken in a drink with diluted wine it
cures old coughs, and it is good taken in a drink with
passu m [raisin wine] for those troubled with urinary
stones. The sweet edible almond has a great deal less
strength than the bitter, yet that also reduces symptoms
and is diuretic. Green almonds eaten with their shells
heal moistness of the stomach.
175
FRUIT TREES
1-177. PISTAKIA
suggested: Pistacia vera, Pistacia officinarum,
Pistacia reticulata — Pistachio
P istacia grow in Syria and are similar to pine nuts.
They are good for the stomach chewed or else
pounded into small pieces. Taken as a drink in wine they
help those bitten by snakes.
Juglans regia
after FAGUET — 1892
1-178. KARUA BASILIKA
suggested: Juglans [Fuchs] Juglans regia [Linnaeus]
— Walnut
native to Persia, recommended by Pliny as a vermifuge [Loudon]
C ary a basilika which some call persica are hard to digest
when eaten, hurt the stomach, produce bile, breed
headaches and are worthless for those who have a cough,
but good to make one vomit if eaten while fasting. They
are antidotes against poisons eaten before or after, or
with figs and rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98]. Eaten in a great
quantity they expel broadworms. They are laid on
inflamed breasts, suppurations and dislocations with a
little honey and rue. With onions and salt and honey they
are good for those bitten by dogs or bitten by men. Burnt
together with their calyx and applied to the navel they
lessen griping. The putamen [seed vessels - woody part]
burnt and pounded in oil and wine and rubbed on the
heads of children is good to make the hair pleasing and
fills up alopecia [baldness]. The kernel within is burnt,
pounded into small pieces, and applied with wine to stop
the menstrual flow. The kernels of old caryae chewed and
then applied as a poultice cure gangrene, carbuncles
[infected boils] [malignant skin tumours], aegilopses [ulcer
or fistula in the inner angle of the eye] and alopecias
[baldness] out of hand. An oil is made of them bruised
and pressed out. The green [or new ones] are sweeter and
less hurtful to the stomach. As a result they are mixed
with garlic to take away the tartness of it. They take away
black and blue spots when applied.
176
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-179. KARUA PONTIKA
suggested: A vellana domestica, A vellana-nux sylvestris, Corylus
[Fuchs], Corylus sativa, Corylus sylvestris [Bauhin],
Corylus maxima [in Sprague], N ux avellana, Corylus avellana
[Linnaeus], N ux pontica [Loudon] — Common Hazel
C ary a Pontica (also called leptocarya [small carya ]) are
worthless for the stomach, yet pounded into small
pieces and taken as a drink with honey and water they
cure old coughs. Roasted and eaten with a little pepper
they digest dripping fluids; and burnt whole, pounded
into small pieces with goose grease or bear grease, and
rubbed on they restore hair that has fallen out from
alopecia [baldness]. Some say that the shells burnt and
pounded into small pieces together with oil make the
pupils of gray-eyed children black if the forepart of the
head is moistened with it.
1-180. MOREA
SUGGESTED: M orus nigra — Mulberry
M orinda umbellata, M orus indica — Indian Mulberry
[other usage] M orea sisrinchium [Loudon] — Spanish Nut
M orus or sycaminus is a well-known tree. Its fruit
makes the intestines soluble. It is easily spoiled
and bad for the stomach and the juice is the same. Boiled
in a brass jar or left in the sun it is made more astringent.
A little honey mixed with it makes it good for the
discharge of fluids, for gangrenous ulceration of the
cheeks, and for inflamed tonsils. The strength of it is
increased if alumen [5-123] in small pieces, galls [oak],
myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] and crocus are mixed with it as
well as the fruit of myrica [1-116], iris and frankincense.
Unripe mulberries dried and pounded are mixed with
sauces or rhus [1-147] and they help coeliac [intestinal
complaints]. The bark from the root boiled in water and
taken as a drink loosens the bowels, expels broadworms
from the intestines, and is an antidote for those who have
taken aconitum [4-77, 4-78] as a drink. The leaves pounded
into small pieces and applied with oil heal burns. Boiled
with rain water, wine and black fig leaves they dye the
hair. A wine cupful of juice from the leaves (taken as a
M orus nigra
after FAGUET — 1880
M orus alba
after FAGUET — 1880
177
FRUIT TREES
drink) helps those bitten by harvest spiders. A decoction
of the bark and leaves is a good rinse for toothache. It is
milked at harvest time, the roots dug around and cut-in.
The next day there will be found some coalesced gum
which is good for toothache, dissolves swellings, and
purges the bowels. There seem to be some wild
mulberries similar to (the fruit) of the bramble but more
astringent, the juice is less spoiled and good in warm
packs for inflammation, healing ulcerated jaws, and to fill
up wounds with flesh. They grow in shady and cold
places.
1-181. SUKOMORON
suggested: Sycomorus antiquorum, Ficus sycomorus
— Sycamore Fig, Sycamore, Mulberry Fig
[other usage] Sycamore [old English], A cer pseudoplatan us
— Maple, Bastard Sycamore, Sycamore Maple, Mock Plane
Sycamine — old English for Mulberry [see above]
S ycomorum is also called sycaminum and the fruit is
called sycomorum because of the faintness of its taste.
It is a great tree similar to a fig tree — very full of juice, the
leaves similar to the mulberry tree. It bears fruit twice or
four times a year, not from the highest (boughs) as on the
fig tree, but from the stock, similar to the wild fig —
sweeter than green figs but without grains, and not
growing ripe unless it is scratched with a nail or with
iron. It grows abundantly in Caria and Rhodes and places
not very fertile for wheat. It helps in time of scarcity of
corn [famine] by continually bearing fruit. The fruit is
good for the bowels, yields little nourishment, and is bad
for the stomach. The tree is milked at the beginning of
spring before it brings forth fruit, the outside of the bark
being broken with a stone, for if it is broken deeper in it
sends nothing forth. The oozing from it is gathered in a
sponge or fleece, then dried, formed (into little balls), and
stored in newly-made jars. This juice is softening, closes
open cuts and sores from wounds, and dissolves growths
that ripen with difficulty. It is taken in a drink and also
rubbed on against the bites of snakes, spleens that have
grown hard, pains, and a cold stomach. This juice is
quickly spoiled with worms.
178
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-182. SUKON EN KUPRO
UNKNOWN
A tree grows in Cyprus that differs from these. It is an
elm [?ash] yet it has leaves similar to sycamine [ 1-180]
and fruit the size of prunes and sweeter. In all other
things it is similar to those mentioned above.
1-183. SUKA
suggested: Ficus sativa [Fuchs], Ficus communis [Bauhin],
Ficus carica [Linnaeus] — Fig
R ipe new syca are bad for the stomach and loosen the
intestines but the looseness that comes from them is
easily stopped. They bring out pimples and sweat,
quench thirst, and extinguish heat. The dried ones are
nourishing and warming, cause thirst, and are good for
the bowels. They are useless for discharges of the
stomach and intestines, but good for the throat, arteries,
bladder and kidneys, those who have a poor colour from
a long illness, as well as asthma, epilepsy and dropsy.
Boiled with hyssop [3-30] and taken as a drink they clean
away things in the chest. They are good for old coughs
and long-lasting disorders of the lungs; and pounded
together with saltpetre [potassium nitrate] and cnicus
[4-119, 4-190] and eaten, they soften the bowels. A
decoction of them is good for inflammation around the
arteries and tonsils, used in a gargle. They are mixed in
poultices with barley meal, fenugreek or barley water for
women's warm packs. Boiled with rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98]
they are a suppository for griping. Boiled and afterwards
pounded into small pieces and applied, they dissolve
hard lumps and soften parotid tumours, boils and
inflammatory tumours. They ripen pan n US [opaque
thickening of cornea with veins] more effectively with
iris, saltpetre [potassium nitrate] or quicklime [calcium
oxide — lime which has been burned but not yet slaked
with water]. Pounded raw with the things previously
specified they do the same. With pomegranate rind they
clean away pterygium [membrane on the eye], and with
calcanthum [limestone] they cure difficult, curable and
malignant discharges in the tibiae [hollow bones, marrow.
179
FRUIT TREES
not only the tibia]. Boiled in wine and mixed with
wormwood [3-26] and barley meal they are good for
dropsy applied as a poultice. Burnt and put into a wax
ointment they cure chilblains. The raw ones pounded
into small pieces mixed with moist mustard and put into
the ears, cure noises and ringing in them. The (milky)
juice of both the wild and cultivated figs coagulates milk
like rennet, and dissolves coagulated milk like vinegar.
Taken as a drink with almonds that have been pounded
into small pieces it is able to make bodies break out into
boils, to open pores, loosen the bowels and relax the
womb. It expels the menstrual flow applied with the yolk
of an egg or Tyrrhenian [Etruscan] wax. It is good put
into poultices made for gout together with fenugreek
flowers and vinegar. With polenta it cleans leprosy, lichen
[papular skin disease], spots made by the heat of the sun,
vitiligines [form of leprosy], parasitical skin diseases, and
running sores on the head. Dropped on the sores it helps
those stung by scorpions, and strikes of poisonous beasts,
and those bitten by dogs. Taken on wool and put into the
cavities of teeth it helps toothache. It takes away
formicosam [anthill-shaped] warts if it is rubbed on the
flesh with animal fat.
1-184. SUKE AGRIA
suggested: Ficus carica var sylvestris — Wild Fig Tree
Ficus variegata, Ficus amboinensis, Ficus racemosa,
Caprificus amboinensis— Getah Fig Tree, Wild Fig
T he juice of the tender leaves of the wild syca tree does
the same things. When they are great with child (not
yet fruiting) and the eye (bud) has not put out, they are
pounded and pressed out, and the juice is dried in the
shade and stored. Both the liquid and juice are taken for
the strength they have to raise [fill] ulcers. The sprigs of
this tree boiled with beef makes it boil quicker. They
make milk more loosening if they are used to stir it with
during boiling instead of a spatha [1-150].
180
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
1-185. OLUNTHOI
SUGGESTED: Ficus carica — Unripe Figs
O lyntha (some of which are called erinei) boiled and
applied as a poultice soften all nodules, scrofulous
tumours [glandular swelling] and goitres. Applied raw
with saltpetre [potassium nitrate] and meal they take
away formicosam [anthill-shaped] warts and warty
abnormal growths. The leaves can do the same. Applied
as a poultice with vinegar and salt they heal running
ulcers on the head, dandruff and epinycti [pustules which
appear only at night]. Fig-like scabrous cheeks are rubbed
with these. Vitiliginous [form of leprosy] white areas are
plastered with the leaves or branches of the black fig.
They are good also with honey for the bites of dogs, and
the ulcers called favi by the Latins but by the Greeks ceria
[honeycombed ulcers]. Grossi [unripe figs] with the
leaves of wild poppy draw out (broken) bones, and they
dissolve boils [inflammatory tumours] with wax. Applied
with ervum [2-129, 2-131] and wine they are good against
the bites of rodents, spiders, centipedes and millipedes.
1-186. KONIA SUKES
SUGGESTED: Ficus carica var sylvestris — Wild Fig Tree
Ficus variegata, Ficus amboinensis, Ficus racemosa,
C apri ficus amboinensis — Getah Fig Tree, Wild Fig
Ficus carica — Fig
L ye is made from ashes of the burnt branches of the
wild and cultivated syca trees. You must steep the
ashes long and often. It is good both for caustic medicines
and gangrenous parts, for it cleans and removes things
which are superfluous. It must be used by moistening a
sponge in it often and immediately applying it. Give it to
some as a suppository for dysentery, old discharges, and
hollow, undermining, great ulcers. For it cleans, heals,
covers in flesh and closes together, similar to plasters
made for bloody wounds. It is given for clotting blood
together and against dripping fluids, hernia and
convulsions, newly strained-out with a wine cupful of
water and a little oil mixed in. By itself it helps coetiac
[intestinal] complaints and dysentery, the amount of a
181
FRUIT TREES
wine cupful given. It is a convenient ointment with oil for
those troubled with sores of the tendons, and
convulsions that cause sweats. It is taken as an antidote in
a drink for those who have swallowed gypsum [hydrous
calcium sulphate — plaster of Paris] and for the bites of
harvest spiders. The other sorts of lye have the same
effects (especially that of the oak) and they are all
astringent.
1-187. PERSEA
suggested: Persea, M imusops schimperi
— Egyptian Lebekbaum [Bedevian]
P ersea is a tree which grows in Egypt, especially in
Thebes. It bears fruit fit to eat and good for the
stomach, on which the spiders called cranocolopta are
found. The dry leaves pounded into small pieces and
applied are able to stop blood breaking out. Some have
reported that this tree when it grew in Persis was deadly,
but when transported into Egypt it was altered and
became good to eat.
1-188. IBERIS
suggested: N asturtium agreste [Fuchs], H iberis [Brunfels],
N asturtium pratense [Bauhin], Cardaminepraetensis [Linnaeus]
C ardamineamara — Bitter Cress, Large Bitter Cress
[other usage] Candytuft — Iberis numidica
Clown Mustard, Bitter Candytuft — Iberis amara
I beris or cardamantica has leaves similar to nasturtium
[2-185], more flourishing in the spring, the length of it
as much as a foot or somewhat smaller. It grows in
unfilled places. In the summer it puts out a milky flower
and then it is more effective. It has two roots similar to
nasturtium — warming and caustic. They are good for
those diseased with sci ati ca if a poultice similar to a plaster
is made of it with salted lard of a sow (and so applied and
let lie) for four hours. Afterward let the patient be put into
a bath and rubbed on the places affected with oil and
wine dipped in wool.
182
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
BOOK TWO
I n the first book, most loving Areius, that we made of
medicinal matters we have discoursed of aromata
[fragrant herbs], oils, ointments, trees and the liquors and
gum and fruits that come of them. But in this being the
second book we shall come to discussion both of living
creatures and of honey and of milk and of animal fat and
of those things which they call frumentacea [cereals], as
well as pot herbs [vegetables], annexing for those such
herbs as are endowed with a sharp quality because such
are near of kin, as are garlic and onions and mustard seed,
that the qualities of those things so similar in nature
should not be separated.
H af/x pomatia & other Pulmonata
after FERUSSAC — 1875
183
LIVING CREATURES
LIVING CREATURES
2-1. ECHINOS THALASSIOS
Echinus species — Sea Urchin
E chinus from the sea is good for the stomach, good for
the intestines, and diuretic. The raw shell roasted
well should be mixed with washing medications made
for psoriasis. Burnt, it cleans foul ulcers and represses
abnormal growths on the flesh.
2-2. ECHINOS CHERSAIOS
Erinaceous genus — Hedgehog
T he burnt skin of the earth hedgehog is good for
alopecia [baldness] rubbed on with moist pitch. The
dried flesh (taken in a drink with honey or vinegar and
honey) helps inflamed kidneys, water under the skin
[dropsy], and those who have convulsions, elephantiasis,
or cachexy [defective nutrition]. It dries up discharges
from the bowels and liver. Dried in a sun-dried clay jar,
and stored, then given, it does as much good for the same
things.
2-3. HIPPOKAMPOS
Hippocampus [Latin] — Sea Horse
H ippocampus is a little living creature of the sea that is
burnt and the ashes used either in goose grease,
liquid pitch, or ointment amaracinum [1-68]. Rubbed on
it fills up alopecia [baldness] with hair.
Sea Horse — H ippocampus
from DAVIS — 1907
2-4. PORPHURA
suggested: Purpura
Shellfish - yields Tyrian purple dye.
B urnt purpura dry and clean teeth, repress excrescent
flesh, and draw boils and heal them.
184
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-5. KUREKES
SUGGESTED: Buccinum species — Whelks
B urnt buccina do the same as the above but they are
more caustic by nature. If anyone fills them with salt
and burns them in an unfired clay jar they are good as
toothpastes and rubbed on burns. The medicine must be
left alone until it grows hard like a shell, for after the burn
is healed it falls off of its own accord. Quicklime is made
of them as we will show when we come to discuss calx.
2-6. IONIA
suggested: The columellae of Buccinae [Whelks] and Purpurae
I onia are the middle parts in the buccinae and purpurae
around which they turn in or wind around. It is burnt
in the same way, but is more caustic than the buccinae and
pi/ rpurae because by nature they adhere less. The flesh of
the buccina has a good taste and is good for the stomach,
but does not soften the bowels.
2-7. MUAKES
SUGGESTED: M ytilacea species — Mussels
T he Pontic mytuli are best. When burnt their effect is
similar to the buccina but more peculiar. Washed like
lead they are good with honey for eye medicines as they
consume thickened areas, and clean away white spots on
the cornea and whatever else darkens the pupils. Their
flesh is effective applied to one bitten by a dog.
2-8. TELLINAI
SUGGESTED: T etlina, family T ellinidae — Tellen, bivalves
T ellinae whilst they are fresh and new are good for the
bowels, especially their broth. Seasoned with salt,
burnt, pounded into small pieces and dropped on with
cedria [1-105], they do not allow hairs on the eyelids to
spring up again after they are once plucked out.
185
LIVING CREATURES
2-9. CHAMAI
SUGGESTED: C hamae species — Chama, bivalve molluscs
T he broth of chamae and other shellfish boiled in a little
water stirs the bowels. It is taken with wine.
2-10. ONUX
suggested: U nionaceae, 0 nycha — Freshwater Mussels
O nyx (or unguis ) is the covering of a shellfish similar
to that of the purpura [shellfish] found in India in
the n ar c/t/S-bearing lakes. As a result it smells sweet — the
shellfish feeding on the nardus. It is gathered after the
lakes are dried up by extreme drought. The best is
brought from the Red Sea. It is somewhat white and fat.
The Babylonian is black and smaller. Both of them (put
on coals) have a sweet smell somewhat resembling castor
[2-26] in scent. The inhaled smoke restores women
troubled with constrictions of the uterus, and those who
have falling sickness. Taken as a drink they trouble the
bowels. The burnt shellfish itself does the same things as
purpura and buccinum [above].
2-11. KOCHLIAS
suggested: H elix aspersa, H elix hortensis — Garden Snails
H elix pomatia — Snails, edible species
T he earth snail is good for the stomach and spoiled
with difficulty. The best are in Sardinia, Africa,
Astypalaea, Sicily and Chios, as well as those in the Alps
near Liguria, surnamed pomatias (because of their
covering). The sea snail is also good for the stomach and
is easily transient, but the river snail is poisonous. The
field snail (called sesilon or sesdita) that hangs on bushes
and shrubs troubles or disturbs the intestines and
stomach causing vomiting. The burnt shells of all of them
are able to heat and burn, and clean leprosy, vitiligines
[form of leprosy] and the teeth. Burnt whole with their
flesh, pounded into small pieces, and rubbed on with
honey they take away scars in the eyes, white spots on
the cornea, sunspots, and moisture of the sight. Applied
186
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
raw with their shells they dry up dropsy tumours and do
not fall off until all the moisture is exhausted. They
soothe gouty inflammation and draw out thorns applied
in a similar way. Pounded into small pieces and so
applied they expel the menstrual flow. Their flesh
pounded into small pieces and applied as a poultice with
myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] and frankincense heals wounds,
especially those around the tendons. Pounded into small
pieces with vinegar, they stop bleeding from the nostrils.
The live flesh (especially of the African snail), eaten,
pacifies pains of the stomach. Taken whole with the shell
and a little of it taken with a drink of wine and myrrh, it
cures those troubled with colic and pains of the bladder.
The earth-snail heals falling hair if one thrusts a needle
through the flesh of the snail and touches the hair with
the slimy matter that comes from there.
2-12. KARKINOI
suggested: Cancer pagurus [Brachyura] — Crabs
T wo spoonfuls of ashes of burnt crevises or river crabs
with one spoonful of the root of gentian (taken as a
drink in wine for three days together) evidently helps
one bitten by a mad dog. With boiled honey they soothe
cracks in the feet and perineum, as well as chilblains and
diseases of the cornea. Pounded raw and taken as a drink
with an ass's milk they help snakebites, and the strikes of
harvest spiders and scorpions. Boiled and eaten with
their broth they are good for those in consumption
[wasting disease], and those who have swallowed a sea
hare [2-20]. Pounded together with basil and laid out for
scorpions, they kill them. Sea crabs can do the same
things but they work somewhat less effectively than
these.
2-13. SKORPIOS CHERSAIOS
Scorpionidae — Scorpion
T he ground scorpion — taken raw, pounded into
small pieces, and so applied — is a remedy for the
hurt done by it. It is also roasted for the same purpose.
187
LIVING CREATURES
2-14. SKORPIOS THALASSIOS
suggested: Scorpaena, Scorpaenidae— Scorpion Fish
C ottus scorpius — Sculpin
T he gall of the sea scorpion is good for bathing eyes,
white spots on the cornea, and excessive moisture in
the eyes.
2-15. DRAKON THALASSIOS
SUGGESTED: T rachinidae — Spiny-finned fishes, Weevers
T he sea dragon (opened and applied) is a cure for the
hurt done by his prickles.
2-16. SKOLOPENDRA
suggested: M yriapoda, Cheilopoda — Sea Centipedes,
Millepedes
T he sea SCOlopendra boiled in oil and rubbed on
removes hair [depilatory], but when touched it
breeds itching.
2-17. NARKE
suggested: Torpedinidae — Electric Ray
T he sea torpedo applied to sores of long endurance
around the head lessens the fierceness of the
suffering. The same applied lifts up a perineum that has
either overturned or else fallen down.
2-18. ECHIDNE
Vipera communis, Coluber berus, Pelias berus — Viper
T he flesh of the viper (boiled and eaten) makes the
eyes quick-sighted and is also good for disorders of
the nerves. It represses enlarging scrofulous tumours
[glandular swelling, goitres]. You must (when you strip
it) cut off the head and the tail because they are without
188
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
flesh. Cutting off the extreme parts by a certain measure
is but a tale. Then, the intestines having been taken out,
wash that which is left and cut it in pieces. Boil it with oil
and wine and a little salt and dill. Some say that from
feeding on them lice are bred in those who eat them but it
is a lie. Some again say that those who eat them are long-
lived. Salts are made of them for the same uses, but they
do not work as well. The living viper is put into a new pot,
and with it a pint of salt and [the same of] well-pounded
dry figs with six cups of honey. The cover of the pot is
tightly corked with clay and it is baked in an oven until
the salt has turned to coals. After this it is pounded into
small pieces and stored. Sometimes it may agree better
with the stomach if some spikenard [1-6, 1-7, 1-8, 1-10] or
phullon [3-140] or a little malabathrum [1-11] is mixed in.
2-19. OPHEOS GERAS
Senecta anguium — Sloughed Skin of Snakes
T he senecta anguium (which is the skin that the snake
casts in the spring time) boiled in wine is a remedy
for pain in the ears if it is poured into them, and for
toothache used as a mouth rinse. They mix it (especially
that of the sea viper) with eye medicines.
2-20. LAGOOS THALASSIOS
A ply si a depilans — Sea Hare
T he sea hare is similar to the little cuttlefish. Pounded
into small pieces and applied (either by itself or with
sea nettles) it makes any place without hair [depilatory],
2-21. LAGOOS CHERSAIOS
A ply si a depilans — Sea Hare
from Davis — 1907
Lepustimidus — Hare
T he brain of a land hare (eaten roasted) is good for the
trembling that comes from fear, as well as rubbed on
or eaten for teething in children. The head burnt and
rubbed on with bears' grease or vinegar cures baldness.
The curds (taken in a drink three days after the menstrual
189
LIVING CREATURES
flow) are reported to cause sterility. Likewise it stops
excessive discharges of the womb and bowels. It helps
those with falling sickness, and taken as a drink with
vinegar it is good against poisons [antidote], especially
for curdling of the milk [while breastfeeding], and for the
bites of vipers. The blood rubbed on while warm cures
sunspots, vitiligines [form of leprosy], and freckles.
2-22. TRUGON THALASSIA
suggested: Trigonidae pastinaca — Sting Ray
T he radius of the pastinaca marina that grows out of its
tail (with scales turned backward) lessens a pained
tooth for it breaks and expels it.
2-23. SEPIA
suggested: Sepia officinalis — Cuttlefish
T he black (ink) of the boiled sepia is hard to digest
when eaten and it softens the bowels. The shell
formed into washes is good to rub on rough cheeks.
Burnt in its own shell until the crusty matter is gone and
afterwards pounded into small pieces it cleans vitiligines
[form of leprosy], dandruff, teeth and sunspots. It is
washed and mixed with eye medicines. It is good for
white spots on the cornea (in the eyes) of cattle
[veterinary] blown into them. It removes pterygium
[membranes on eyes] pounded into small pieces with salt
and applied.
2-24. TRIGLA
suggested: M ullidae, M ullus barbatus — Red Mullet
T he mullus if often eaten is thought to cause dullness
of sight, but cut apart whilst it is raw and applied it
heals the hurt caused by the sea dragon [2-15], scorpion,
and the spider.
190
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Hedgehog - Echinus species
after DAVIS — 1907
191
LIVING CREATURES
Sepia officinalis
after OWEN — 1909
192
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-25. ORCHIS HIPPOPOTAMOU
H ippopotamus amphibious — Hippopotamus
T he stones [testicles] of the hippopotamus are dried
and pounded into small pieces and taken in a drink
in wine against snakebite.
2-26. KASTOROS ORCHIS
Castoreum — Beaver
obtained from two sacs in the groin of the Beaver
T he beaver is a living creature with a double nature
nourished for the most part in the waters with the
fishes and crabs. Its stones [testicles] are good against the
poisons of snakes. They cause sneezing and are generally
effective for many purposes. Two teaspoonfuls (taken as
a drink with pulegium [3-36]) encourage the menstrual
flow, put out the afterbirth, and are an abortifacient. It is
taken as a drink with vinegar against gaseousness,
griping, hiccups, deadly poisons [antidote] and ixia
[3-103]. Moistened with vinegar and rosaceum [1-53] it
revives the lethargic or those brought low in any way. It
does the same when smelled or inhaled as smoke. It is
good taken either as a drink or rubbed on for trembling,
convulsions, and all diseases of the nerves. Generally it is
warming. Always choose those stones [testicles] which
are connected together from one beginning (for it is
impossible to find two follicles [small glands] knit
together in one membrane); always distinguished by
their natural loose skins; and that have waxy stuff within,
with a strong smell, poisonous, sharp, biting in taste,
easily crumbled. Some adulterate it by pouring
ammoniacum or gum tempered with blood and castoreum
into the follicle and drying it. It is not true that this beast
when it is pursued bites off his stones [testicles] and
throws them away, for it is impossible that he should
touch them as they are joined underneath like those of a
boar. Those who take off the skin must take the liquid in
there which looks similar to honey together with the
loose skin that contains it, dry it, then bottle and store it.
193
LIVING CREATURES
2-27. GALE KATOIKIDIOS
Pu tori us nivalis, M usteiidae— Weasel
T he household weasel is burned over flames after the
bowels are taken out, salted, and afterwards dried in
the shade and kept a long time. It is a very effective
remedy (taken as a drink of two teaspoonfuls in wine)
against all kinds of snakes. It is taken the same way as an
antidote to poisoning. The belly of the weasel is stuffed
with coriander and kept until it is old, then taken in a
drink to help those bitten by poisonous beasts, and the
epileptic. It is burnt complete together in a pot and the
ashes rubbed on with vinegar for gout. The blood rubbed
on helps scrofulous tumours [glandular swelling,
goitres]. It is also good for epilepsy.
2-28. BATRACHOI
genus R ana, family R anidae — Frogs
F rogs are antidotes against the poisons of all snakes.
They are boiled into a broth in salt and oil. The broth
is then taken for this and for old abscesses of the tendons.
Burnt and then put on they staunch bleeding. They cure
alopecia [baldness] rubbed on with liquid pitch. The blood
of green frogs dropped on prevents the hair from ever
growing again once it has been pulled from the
eyebrows. They are good for toothache boiled together
with water and vinegar, and for the teeth when they are
washed with it.
2-29. AILOUROS
suggested: Silurus glanis, Siiuridae— Sheath Fish
T he silurus eaten whilst it is fresh is nourishing and
good for the stomach, but salted it yields no
nourishment; yet it cleans the arteries and makes the
voice clear. The flesh of that which is salted draws out
splinters. Brine from it is good in baths for dysentery at
the first sign, drawing the discharges to the outside.
Taken as a suppository it cures sciatica.
194
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-30. SMARIS
suggested: Osmerus eparlanus — Smelt
T he head of a salted smaris burnt stops abnormal
growths of (protuberant) flesh, stops gangrenous
ulceration; and removes corns and warty abnormal
growths. The flesh of this as well as all salted meat is good
for one touched by a scorpion, and for one bitten by a
dog.
2-31. MAINIS
SUGGESTED: M aen a
small sea-fish, eaten by the poor
T he burnt head of the moena (pounded into small
pieces and sprinkled on) mends hard-skinned
fissures in the perineum; and its garum [Roman sauce
made of fermented fish] rolled up and down around the
mouth lessens rotten ulcers in there.
2-32. KOBIOS
SUGGESTED: Gobiidae, Gobi us species — Sea Gudgeon
P lace a freshly caught sea gudgeon in a swine's
stomach and sew it up. Boil it with twelve pints of
water until it is reduced to two pints and then strain and
cool it in the open air. If you give it to someone to drink
you shall in this way bring down his bowels without any
disturbance. Applied it helps those bitten by dogs or
snakes.
2-33. OMOTARICHOS
suggested: 0 rcynus thynus — Tunny
O motarichos is the flesh of the salted tunny. Those
bitten by the viper called prester (a serpent, the bite
of which was fabled to cause death by swelling) take this.
Those who eat it must be compelled to drink a great
195
LIVING CREATURES
amount of wine and then to vomit. It is excellent for the
same purposes as eating sharp meats. It is also effective
applied to the bites of dogs.
2-34. GARRON
SUGGESTED: Garum— Liquid from Salt Fish
G arum (the liquid that comes out of salted flesh or
fish), applied, represses gangrenous ulcers in the
cheeks, heals those bitten by dogs, and is sometimes
given as a suppository for dysentery and sciatica. It is
given to some so that it may repress ulcers (of the
bowels), to others that it may encourage ulceration of the
parts not ulcerated, and to remove fluids troubling the
hips.
2-35. ZOMOS NEARON ICHTHUON
SUGGESTED: Fish Soup
B roth made from fresh fish (alone or taken as a drink
with wine) is able to soothe the bowels. The best
broth for this is made from the fish called phycides ?,
scorpion fish, j ill ides, perch and other tender rock fish,
and those which do not have a poisonous nature, boiled
with nothing else but water and oil and anise [3-65] and
salt.
2-36. KOREIS
Cimices — Cimex lectularius, Cimex rotandatus — Bed Bugs
S even cimices taken and put in meat with beans and
swallowed down before a fit help those with quartains
[fever with paroxysm every three to four days].
Swallowed down without beans they help one bitten by
an asp. Smelled, they revive those fallen into a faint from
constriction of the vulva. Taken as a drink with wine or
vinegar they release horseleeches. Pounded into small
pieces and put into the urethra they cure painful
urination.
196
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-37. KOUBARIDES
Oniscus asellus — Common Woodlouse
'Millipede' [old English]
M illipedes that are found under water vessels are
creatures with many feet that roll themselves up
round when they are touched with the hand. Taken as a
drink with wine these help painful urination and yellow
jaundice. Rubbed on with honey they help those with
tonsillitis, and warmed in a pomegranate rind with
rosaceum [1-53] and dropped in the ears they are good for
earaches.
2-38. SILPHE
Cockroach — Blatta oriental is
THESE INSECTS ARE CARRIERS OF MANY DISEASES.
T he inner parts of the kind of blatta which is found in
bakehouses and m i ll houses, pounded with oil or
boiled and dropped into the ears lessens their pain.
2-39. PNEUMON THALASSIOS
suggested: Scopelidae, genus Plagyodus or A lepisaurus
— Jellyfish family
translates as the lungs of the sea
P ulmo marinus pounded into small pieces (whilst it is
fresh), and applied, helps those troubled with
ulcerated chilblains and other chilblains, and those with
gout.
2-40. PNEUMON CHOIRIOS
Lungs of Swine, Lamb or Bear
T he lungs of a swine, lamb or bear applied to chafing
and blisters on the feet made by rubbing shoes
prevents inflammation.
197
LIVING CREATURES
2-41. PNEUMON ALOPEKOS
Lungs of Fox
L ungs of a fox (dried and taken in a drink) help the
asthmatic; and the grease of the same melted and
poured in the ears lessens earache.
2-42. HEPAR ONEIRON
Ass's Liver
A n ass's liver eaten roasted is good for epilepsy but it
should be taken while fasting.
2-43. AIDOION ARRENOS ELAPHOU
Testes of Deer
T he genitals of a male hart (pounded into small pieces
and taken in a drink with wine) help those bitten by
vipers.
2-44. ONUCHES ONON
Ass's Hooves
T wo spoonfuls of an ass's hoof that has been burnt
(taken in a drink daily for many days) are said to cure
epilepsy. Steeped in oil they dissolve scrofulous tumours
[glandular swelling, goitres]; sprinkled on they heal
chilblains.
2-45. LEICHENES HIPPON
Spavins of Horses
T he lichen [bony excrescence on legs] of horses is
(according to description) that hardened substance
which grows at their knees and hooves. Pounded into
small pieces and taken in a drink with vinegar they are
said to cure epilepsy.
198
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-46. ONUCHES AIGON
Goats' Hooves
T he hooves of goats burnt and rubbed on with vinegar
cure baldness.
2-47. HEPAR AIGOS
Goat's Liver
T he watery fluid that drips from the liver of a goat
whilst it is a roasting is good rubbed on for those
troubled with night blindness. If anyone receives the
smoke of it with open eyes whil s t it is boiling he receives
benefit from this. Eaten roasted it is good for the same
purpose. They say that epilepsy may be discerned by
eating the liver (especially) of the buck goat.
2-48. HEPAR KAPROU
Boar's Liver
T he liver of a boar (taken whilst it is) fresh, dried and
pounded into small pieces and taken as a drink with
wine, is a remedy against the bites of snakes and beasts.
2-49. HEPAR KUNOS LUSSONTOS
Liver of Mad Dog
RABIES IS HIGHLY COMMUNICABLE
T he liver of a mad dog (eaten roasted by those which
have been bitten by him) is thought to keep them
safe from the fear of water. As a precaution they also use
the tooth of that dog which bit, place it into a bag and tie it
to the arm.
199
LIVING CREATURES
2-50. HEPAR AITHUAS
Liver of Seagull
T wo spoonfuls of dried liver of mergus [seagull] (taken
as a drink with honey water) expels the afterbirth.
2-51. KATTUMATA
Old Leather
T he old leather of old soles of shoes (burnt, pounded
to powder and applied) helps burns, skin
inflammation from rubbing, chafing, and blisters caused
by wearing shoes.
2-52. ALEKTORIDES
Parts of Poultry
H ens cut apart and applied whilst they are yet warm
help the bites of snakes, but they must be changed
often.
2-53. ENKEPHALOS ALEKTORIDOS
Parts of Poultry
B rains of poultry are given in a drink with wine to
those bitten by venomous creatures, and it also stops
discharges of blood from the meninx [membranes of the
brain and spinal cord]. The membrane of cocks which lies
in the inner part under the ventricle, (hard and clear) like
a horn, and which has to have the skin taken off when it
is boiled, is good for the stomach, dried, pounded to a
powder and taken in a drink with wine. The broth of a
chicken dressed simply (without anything else) is
particularly given for restraining foul fluids, and for
those who have hot burning stomachs. Broth from old
cocks is given for purging the body. Having taken out the
intestine [of the fowl] you must put in salt instead, sew
up the fowl, and boil it in twenty pints of water until they
reduce to one and a half pints, all which must be given
200
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
after it has stood cooling awhile in the open air. There are
some who boil sea colewort, mercury [4-191], cnicum
[4-119, 4-190], or polypody [4-188] together with it. It draws
out thick, raw, gluey (or sticky) black (fluids). It is good
for long-enduring acute fevers, the asthmatic, the
arthritic, and stomachs labouring with gas. The stomach
of fowls salted and dried in the shade is the best help.
Three teaspoonfuls are taken as an antidote against
excessive evacuations from purging medicines as it
presently stops the evacuating, but it must be pounded
into powder and mixed with water and given like that.
2-54. OON
Eggs and their Yolk
A soft-cooked egg nourishes more than an uncooked
one and a hard-cooked egg more than a soft. The
yolk roasted with saffron and rosaceum [1-53] is good for
sores in the eyes. It is good with met Hot [3-48] for
inflammation around the perineum and the joints. Fried
in a pan with the seed of sumach or galls [oak galls] and
eaten (or else given alone) it stops discharges of the
bowels.
2-55. LEUKON TOU OOU
White of Egg
T he white of an egg used raw cools and closes the
pores of the skin, and when dropped on inflamed
eyes it soothes them. Rubbed on afterwards it prevents
burns from breaking out into pustules. It protects the face
from sunburn. It constipates those troubled with
discharges, and will repress them when laid on the
forehead with frankincense. It lessens inflammation of
the eyes applied with wool and with rosaceum [1-53],
wine and honey mixed with it. If it is sipped raw it helps
bites of the snake called haemorrhois [a fable]; and
warmed a little it is good for bladder distress, ulcerated
kidneys, rough arteries, and the throwing up of blood,
mucus and fluids in the chest.
201
LIVING CREATURES
2-56. TETTIGES
Acridiiae, Locustidae — Grasshoppers
G rasshoppers if they are eaten roasted help disorders
of the bladder.
2-57. AKRIDES
Acridiiae, Oedipoda migratoria, Pachytylus migratorius
— Locusts
L ocusts (smoked and inhaled) help difficulty in
urinating, especially in women. Their flesh is useless.
One kind of locust called asiracos or on 05 is without wings,
having great limbs when it is young. This is dried and
taken in a drink with wine as a great help to those bitten
by scorpions. The Africans who inhabit Leptis feed on
these abundantly [food],
2-58. PHINIS
Pandion [ Falco ] haliaetus — Osprey, Ossifrage
P hinis is a bird that they call ossifragum in Latin. When
given little by little of this in drink it is said to expel
stones from urine.
2-59. KORUDALLOS
A lauda arvensis — Skylark, Crested Lark
T he lark is only a little bird having on the top of its
head a tuft standing up similar to that of the peacock.
This bird eaten roasted is good for those troubled with
colic.
2-60. CHELIDON
H irundo rustica — Swallows
C utting apart [at the increase of the moon] young
swallows of the first hatching, you shall find stones
202
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
in their bellies, of which take two, one of various colours
and the other clear [and of one colour]. Place these in an
heifer's or hart's skin before they touch the ground and
tie them to the arm or neck. You shall with this ease and
often wholly recover from epilepsy. Swallows are eaten
with their ficedulae [intestines] as a medicine for causing
sharp sight, and the ashes of them and of their female
parents burnt in a ceramic pot and rubbed on with honey
cause sharpness of sight. It is also good rubbed on for
those with tonsillitis, and for inflammation of the uvula
and tonsils. Swallows and their young ones (dried, and
one teaspoon taken in a drink with water) help those
who have tons i ll i tis.
2-61. ELEPHANTOS ODONTOS
RINISMA
Elephant's Tooth
T he scraping of elephant's tooth when applied cures
whitlows of the finger or toenails. It is astringent.
2-62. ASTRAGALOS UOS
Knucklebone of Pig
T he anklebone of a swine (burnt until it becomes
white, then pounded to powder and taken in a
drink) heals gas from colic, and griping that has endured
for a long time.
2-63. ELAPHOU KERAS
Burnt Horn of a Hart — adult male Red Deer
T he horn of a hart (burnt, washed and two spoonfuls
taken in a drink) is good with gum tragacanth for
bloodspitters, dysentery, coeliac [intestinal complaints],
jaundice and disorders of the bladder. It is also good for
women troubled with excessive [menstrual] discharge,
given with some liquid suitable for that suffering. It is
burnt in an oven (first pounded and put into an unfired
clay pot, sealed around with clay, and fired) until it is
203
LIVING CREATURES
white, and then afterwards it is washed in a similar way
to cad mi a [5-84], This is good for discharges and ulcers in
the eyes; and rubbed on the teeth it cleans them. If burnt
raw it drives away snakes with the smell. Boiled with
vinegar and used as a mouthwash it soothes pain of the
inner teeth.
2-64. KAMPAI
Caterpillars
T he erucae [caterpillars] which breed on vegetables
rubbed with oil on anyone are said to protect him
from the bites of poisonous beasts.
2-65. KANTHARIDES
Cantharides vesicatoria — Spanish Fly Beetles
POISONOUS
T hose dried beetles that are gathered from the corn
are fit for storage. Place them into an unglazed jar
and tie around the mouth of it a clean thin linen cloth:
turn them towards the fumes of very sharp warmed
vinegar and hold them there until they are stifled. Then
thrust them through with a thread and store them. The
most effective have the most diversity of colours,
yellowish cross streaks [in their wings], and are long-
bodied, full and fat, like the blattae [cockroaches]. Those
of one colour are ineffective.
2-66. BOUPRESTEIS
Buprestis — B upr esti dae— Bupressedes
POISONOUS
I n the same way the bupressedes are preserved for
storage. They are types of cantharides [2-65] and erucae
[caterpillars] of the pine tree. Roasted a little in hot ashes,
they are stored and kept in a sieve that hangs up. Their
common strength [see above] is antiseptic, anti-ulcerous
and heating; as a result they are mixed in medicines that
cure diseases of the cornea, leprosy and wild impetigo
204
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
[skin infection]. Mixed with soothing suppositories they
encourage the menstrual flow. Some also have related
that these cantharides [2-65] help dropsy by moving the
urine. Some also believe that the wings and feet of them
are an antidote for those who have taken parasites in a
drink.
2-67. SALAMANDRA
Salamandridae — Salamander
T he salamander is a kind of lizard, lazy, variously
spotted, in vain thought fireproof. It is antiseptic,
ulcerating, and heating. They are mixed in antiseptic and
leprosy medicines to the same benefit as cantharides [2-65]
and kept in store in a similar way. Moistened with oil
they remove hair [depilatory]. They are disembowelled,
the head and the feet taken away, and preserved in
honey for the same uses.
2-68. ARACHNE
A rachn a dae — Spiders
T he spider — a creature also called holcos or lycos (that
is, raptor, for example, lupus ) — worked into one
piece with a plaster, spread on linen and applied to the
forehead or temples, cures the periodical circuits of
paroxysm every third day in acute fevers. The cobwebs of
spiders are applied to staunch blood, and prevent
inflammation in ulcers that break out on the surface of
the skin. There is another kind of spider which spins a
white web, thin and thick, of which it is said that when
put into a purse of leather and hanged around the arm it
cures the flows of quartain [with paroxysms every fourth
day] acute fevers. Boiled together with rosaceum [1-53]
and poured in the ears it helps earaches.
205
LIVING CREATURES
2-69. SAURA
Lacertilia — Lizard
T he head of a lizard (pounded into small pieces and
applied) draws out splinters or whatever else sticks
to [the body], and takes away formicosam [anthill-shaped]
warts, pen sites [growths which hang down] (which they
call acrochordonas [hanging warts]) and corns. The liver is
put into the cavities of teeth to cause the pain to cease.
Cut quite apart and applied it eases those touched by a
scorpion.
2-70. SEPS
Lizard of scincoid genus Seps — poisonous
S eps (also called the Calchidicen lizard) taken as a drink
in wine heals those bitten by him.
2-71. SKINKOS
Scincus officinalis — Skink
S chin chi are found in Egypt, India and some at the Red
Sea. Some are found in Libya, others near a river of
Mauritania. It is an earth crocodile of its own kind that is
preserved in salt with nasturtium [2-185]. They say that a
teaspoonful of the part of it that lies around the kidneys
(taken in a drink of wine) is a great provocative to lust
[aphrodisiac], and yet for all that, a decoction of lentils
taken as a drink with honey (or the seed of lettuce taken
in a drink with water) represses the intensity of this
inclination. It is also mixed with antidotes.
2-72. ENTERA GES
Lumbricus — Earthworms
W orms from the soil (pounded into small pieces and
applied) glue together sinews that are cut apart.
They dissolve tertians [fevers with paroxysms every third
day]. Boiled with goose grease they cure diseases of the
206
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
ears, dropped in there. Boiled together with oil and
poured into the opposing ear they help toothaches.
Pounded into small pieces and taken in a drink with
passu m [raisin wine] they expel urine.
2-73. MUOGALE
M yogale species — Shrew Mouse
T he shrewmouse (cut apart and applied) is a remedy
for its own bites.
2-74. MUES
M us musculus — House Mouse
I t is declared that cut-apart house mice are usefully
applied to those touched by scorpions, and that eaten
roasted they dry the spittle in the mouths of children.
2-75. GALA
SUGGESTED: Milk
A ll milk is commonly good to drink, nourishing,
softening to the intestines, and causing the stomach
and bowels to be inflated with gas. That which is made in
the spring has a more watery substance than that of the
summer, and that which comes from green pasture
softens the intestines more. The best milk is white, has an
equal thickness, and 'beads' when it is dropped on a
fingernail. Goat's milk disturbs the intestines less because
goats for the most part feed on astringent food such as the
oak, lentisk [1-90], and the leaves of the olive tree and
terminthos[l-9l]. As a result it is also good for the stomach.
Sheep milk is both thick and sweet and very fat but not so
good for the stomach. Cow's, asses' and mare's milk make
the intestines more laxative and trouble it. All mi l k
overturns the stomach and the intestines where the
pasture is scammonious or has hellebore, mercury [4-191]
or clematis, as has been observed by us in the Vestin
mountains. For goats vomit which feed on the leaves of
the white hellebore when they first shoot out; and their
207
LIVING CREATURES
milk overturns the stomach and has a nauseous nature.
All milk when boiled becomes astringent to the
intestines, especially that which is evaporated by burning
flints. In general it helps all internal ulcers, especially of
the throat, lungs, intestines, kidneys and bladder.
Against all itchiness in appearance, pustules and corrupt
fluids it is given fresh with raw honey and a little water
mixed together (salt also being mixed with it). That which
has been once boiled is less inflating. That which is boiled
with pebble stones and reduced to half, helps discharges
of the bowels accompanied with ulceration.
2-76. ORROS GALAKTOS
SUGGESTED: Whey
A ll milk has whey contained within it. Separated out,
this is fitter for purging and is given to those whom
we would purge without distress, as well as for
depression, epilepsy, leprosy, elephantiasis, and pustules
that break out over the whole body.
2-77. GALA SCHISTON
SUGGESTED: Junket
11 milk is separated by boiling it in a new ceramic jar
L Y.and stirring it with a freshly cut down fig tree
branch. After it has boiled two or three times a wine-cup
of vinegar and honey for every half-pint of mi lk is poured
into it: thus the whey is parted from the cheesy matter. So
that the milk does not boil over you must continually rub
the brim of the jar with a sponge dipped in cold water
during boiling, and let down a silver pint jar full of cold
water into it. Whey is given to drink (at intervals) in
amounts of from one half-pint to five, and let those who
drink it walk around during that time. New milk is good
for ulcers, and inflammation caused by deadly medicines
like cantharis [2-65], pityocampa [pine grub or pine
caterpillar], salamander, buprestis [2-66], hyoscyamus
[4-69], dorycnium [4-75], aconitum [4-77, 4-78], or
ephemerum [4-85]. For this cow's mil k helps best. It is also
gargled for ulcers of the mouth and tonsils. Especially
asses' milk gargled in the mouth strengthens the gums
208
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
and the teeth. If you place hot burning flints into the milk
of sheep, cows, or goats to boli it, this stops discharges
accompanied with ulceration. It is given as a suppository
or enema (either by itself or with barley water or cream of
halica [2-114]) to relieve considerable gnawing of the
intestines. It is also squirted into an ulcerated vulva.
2-78. GALA GUNAIKOS
SUGGESTED: Woman's Milk
W oman's milk is the sweetest and most nourishing.
Sucked, it is good for pangs of hunger in the
stomach and for consumption. It is also an antidote in a
drink for someone that has taken sea hare [2-20]. Mixed
with frankincense that has been pounded into small
pieces, it is dropped into eyes that are bloodshot from a
blow. It is good for gout rubbed on with meconium [4-65]
and ceratium [wax ointments]. All milk is worthless for the
splenetic and hepatic, vertigo, epilepsy, and those
troubled in their tendons, those who have fevers or
whose heads ache, unless at any time one gives them
whey for purgation as was formerly shown. Some say
that the milk of a bitch when she first whelps removes
hair when rubbed on. Taken as a drink it is an antidote
against poisonous medicines, and casts out dead
embryos.
2-79. TUROS NEAROS
SUGGESTED: New Cheese
N ew cheese eaten without salt is nourishing, good
for the stomach, easy to digest, increasing the flesh
[weight gain] and mildly softening the bowels. Some is
better than the other, according to the nature of the mil k
from which it is made. Boiled and strained out, then
roasted, it is astringent in the intestines, and applied it is
good for inflammation and bruises of the eyes. New
salted cheese is more nourishing and if eaten is good for
shrinking of the flesh [weight loss]. It is bad for the
stomach, upsetting the intestines and the bowels. That
209
LIVING CREATURES
which is older is therapeutic for the intestines, and the
whey that is made along with cheese is very good
nourishment for dogs.
2-80. HIPPACE
SUGGESTED: Horse Cheese
T hat which they call hippdce is horse cheese. It has a
poisonous smell yet is very nourishing and very
similar to that made from pigs' milk. Some have called
the horse's rennet by the name of hippdce.
2-81. BUTURON
SUGGESTED: Butter
G ood butter is made of the fattest m il k such as ewes'
milk. It is also made from milk of goats, the milk
being stirred around in jars until the fat is separated. It is
softening and has the qualities of oil. Taken by itself it
loosens the intestines, and when oil is not available it is an
antidote against poison. Mixed and rubbed on with
honey it helps teething and itching of the gums in
children, and ulcers of the mouth [thrush, candidiasis].
Rubbed on externally it preserves the body and prevents
pustules from breaking out. Butter that is neither stinking
nor old is good against inflammations and hard lumps of
the womb. It is given as a suppository for dysentery and
ulceration of the COlus [? possibly colon]. It is also of
benefit mixed in suppurating medicines — especially for
wounds around the nerves, neural membrane, bladder
and neck. It f i ll s and cleans and encourages new flesh.
Applied it is good for one bitten by an asp. New butter is
put in sauce for meats instead of oil, and in cakes instead
of fat.
Soot is gathered from butter as follows. Pour some
butter into a new lamp, set it on fire and having covered it
let it burn in a ceramic jar made similar to a siphunculus [a
little pipe from which water spurts], narrow above but
with holes underneath. When the first butter is used up
pour in more and repeat the procedure until you have
got as much soot as you desire. Then scrape it off with a
210
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
feather or wing and use it. It is useful in eye medicines, to
dry, and as an astringent. It stops discharges and quickly
brings ulcers to a scar.
2-82. ERIA
SUGGESTED: Wool
T he best, unwashed wool is softest, like that from the
neck and from the thighs. It is good (moistened in
vinegar and oil or wine) as first treatment for wounds,
bruises, peeling, black and blue bruises, and broken
bones. For it easily drinks up the liquors into which it is
dipped, and by reason of the oesypum [lanolin] that it
contains it is softening. It is good applied with vinegar
and rosaceum [1-53] for headaches and pains in the
stomach or any other place.
2-83. ERIA KEKAUMENA
SUGGESTED: Burnt Wool
B urnt wool has the properties of scab forming,
repressing abnormal growths of flesh, and drawing
ulcers to a scar. It is burnt in an unfired clay jar (in the
same way as other things) after being cleaned and
carded. Locks of wool that have been dyed with sea
purple [pu pur ea — shellfish] are burnt in the same way.
Some card the wool with the lanolin on, moisten it with
honey and burn it. Some lay little spits [skewers] in a
ceramic jar with a broad mouth, separate from one
another, and lay thin chips of teda [taeda — pitch pine] on
it, then place the wool (carded and moistened with oil) on
them so that it may not fall. Layering the chips and the
wool one on the other by turn they set the teda [chips]
gently on fire underneath and take them away when
they have burnt out. If any fat or pitch fall s down from
the teda it is taken and stored separately. The ash from
wool is washed for eye medicines in a ceramic jar. Water
is poured on it and lustily stirred around with the hands,
and after it is settled the water is poured out and other
poured on and stirred around again. This is done until it
does not bite if applied to the tongue but is somewhat
astringent.
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FATS
FATS
2-84. OISUPON
SUGGESTED: Wool Fat, Lanolin
T he greasiness of unwashed wool is called oesypum
[lanolin]. You can prepare it as follows. Take soft
unwashed wool scoured with the herb soapweed
[soapwort], wash it in hot water, squeeze out all the filth,
throw it into a broad-mouthed jar, and pouring water on
it pour it from on high back again with a great spoon,
tumbling it down forcibly until it foams, or stir it around
lustily with a stick until a quantity of foul foam gathers
together. Afterwards sprinkle it with seawater. When the
fat that swims on top has settled, put it into another
ceramic jar, and pouring water into the jar stir it around
again and sprinkle the foam with water and repeat as
above. Do this until there is no more foam on it, the
greasy matter having been used up. Mix the oesypum
[lanolin] that is gathered by hand. If it has any filth
remaining on it take it away. Let the first water fall away
drop by drop, pour in more and stir it around with the
hand until, if applied to the tongue it does not bite, is
somewhat astringent and it looks fat, clean and white.
Store it in a ceramic jar. This should be done while the
sun is warm. Some press out the grease and wash it in
cold water, rubbing it with their hands as women do stiff
ointments and this is whiter. Others wash the wool and
press out the filth, boil it with water in a kettle over a
gentle fire, take away the grease that floats on top and
wash it in water as was already explained. Straining it out
into a ceramic platter that has warm water in it, they
cover it with a linen cloth and set it out in the sun until it
becomes sufficiently thick and white. Some (after two
days) pour out the first water and pour in fresh. The best
is not cleaned with r adieu Id [radish], is smooth, smells of
unwashed wool, and when rubbed with cold water in a
shell, grows white. It has nothing in it hard or compacted
such as that counterfeited with wax ointment or animal
fat. It is able to warm and soften and fill ulcers, especially
those around the perineum and vulva. Applied in wool
with metitot [3-48] and butter it is an abortifacient and
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THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
draws out the menstrual flow, (and is good) with goose
grease for sores in the ears and genitals. It is also good
around the corners of eyes that have been eaten into and
are scabbed, and for eyelids that have grown hard and
shed their hair. Oesypum [lanolin] is burnt in a new
ceramic jar until it is turned into ashes and loses all its fat.
Soot is gathered from it (in the same way as we have
previously described), good for eye medicines.
2-85. PITUA
SUGGESTED: Rennet
T hirty grains of rennet of hare (taken in a drink of
wine) is good for those bitten by venomous
creatures, coeliac [intestinal complaints], dysentery, for
women troubled with excessive discharges from the
womb, for clotting blood together, and for throwing
blood up out of the chest. Applied after the cleansing
(that is, monthly, and a little before lying together) to the
vulva with butter it causes inconception. Taken in a drink
it is an abortifacient, and after the menstrual flow
purging it hinders conception [birth control]. Rennet of a
horse that some call hippace is particularly good for the
abdominal cavity and dysentery. Rennet of a lamb, kid,
fawn, doe, platyceros [stag], dorcas [D orcatherium aquaticum
— ruminant], deer, calf, and wild ox have similar
properties and are good (taken as a drink in wine) as an
antidote against aconitum [4-77, 4-78], and for clotting
milk if used with vinegar. In particular the rennet of a
fawn applied the third day after the monthly purgation
hinders conception. Rennet of the sea calf [seal — Phoca
vitulina ] has a strength very similar to castorium [2-26]. It is
thought to be especially good (taken as a drink) for
epilepsy, and for constriction of the womb. Now to know
whether it is the authentic rennet of sea calf it is tested as
follows. Take the rennet of some other creature
(especially of a lamb) and having put water onto it leave it
alone a little while. Afterwards pour the liquid in which
that rennet lay on the rennet of the sea calf. If it is
authentic it immediately melts into the water, and if it is
not it remains as it was. Sea calves' rennet is taken from
the young ones when not yet able to swim together (with
213
FATS
the old). In general all rennet gathers together things that
are scattered and dissolves things that are gathered
together.
2-86. STEAR
SUGGESTED: Goose Grease
N ew fat of either geese or poultry (even if it is kept
long, but without salt) is good for disorders of the
womb. That which is salted or has turned sour through
age is an enemy to the womb. Take any of these, fresh,
and strip off the skin from it. Put it into a new ceramic jar
that could contain twice as much fat as you mean to
provide. Having covered the jar carefully set it out in a
very hot sun then strain out the part which has melted
into another ceramic jar until all is used, then put it into a
very cold place and use it. Some, instead of the sun, set
the jar over hot water or over a small and gentle coal fire.
There is also another way of preparing it as follows. After
the skin is removed from the fat, it is pounded and put on
to a platter, melted, and a little fine salt is put on it, then it
is strained through a linen cloth and put in jars. This fat is
good mixed with medicines that take away weariness.
2-87. STEAR HUEION KAI ARNEION
SUGGESTED: Lard and Bear Grease
F ats from swine or bears are prepared as follows. Take
the new thick fat that grows around the kidneys,
remove the skin, and put it into a good amount of very
cold rain water, rubbing it carefully with the hands and
(as it were) reviving it again. Having washed it often in
clean water, put it into a ceramic jar that will hold twice
the amount, add enough water to cover the fat, set it over
a gentle fire of coals and stir it with a continuous
splashing. When it has melted strain it through a strainer
into water and let it cool. Then removing all the water
gently from it, carefully put it again into another jar
already washed beforehand, place water on it and melt it
gently. Having taken it down and allowed the dregs to
settle a little put it into a mortar moistened with a sponge.
When it has congealed take it down and take off the filth
214
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
lying in the bottom. Melt it again a third time without
water and pour it again into the mortar. Having cleaned
it, store it in tightly corked ceramic jars and put the jars in
a very cold place.
2-88. STEAR TRAGEION, KAI
PROBATEION, KAI ELAPHEION
SUGGESTED: Mutton Suet etc.
G oat, sheep and furthermore deer suet is prepared as
follows. Take the fat of any of these (as described in
the previous discussion) and having washed it (as
explained in the preparation of fat of swine) remove the
skin, put it into a mortar to temper it and beat it, pouring
in a little water until nothing similar to blood comes from
it, no fat swims on it, and it becomes clear. Then throw it
into a ceramic jar and add to it enough water to cover it,
put it over a gentle coal fire and stir it around. When it is
all melted, pour it into water and cool it. Having washed
the jar, melt the suet a second time and repeat the
procedure. Then having melted it a third time without
water, strain it out into a mortar moistened with water,
and when it is cold bottle it for storage like fat of swine.
2-89. STEAR BOEION
SUGGESTED: Ox or Cow Suet
F rom ox or cow suet (which is near the kidneys) the
skin is to be taken off, and it must be washed in sea
water taken out of the ocean, then it must be put into a
mortar and pounded carefully, sprinkling the seawater
on it. When it is all dissolved it must be put into a ceramic
jar and sea water poured into it to stand no less than
twenty centimetres above it, and it must be boiled until it
has lost its own smell. Afterwards for every Attic
[Athenian] pound of the suet you must put in four
teaspoonfuls of Tyrrhenian [Etruscan] wax. Then (having
strained it and taken away the filth that lies in the
bottom) it must be put into a new jar. Afterwards it is
covered and is to be set out every day in the sun so that it
may become white and lose its bad taste.
215
FATS
2-90. STEAR TAUREION, PARDALEION
KAI LEONTEION
SUGGESTED: Bulls' Suet etc.
B ulls' suet must be prepared as follows. Take new fat
from the kidneys, wash it with running water from
the river, and having pulled off the skin put the fat into a
new clay jar, sprinkle a little salt on it and melt it. Then
strain it out into clear water. When it begins to congeal
rub it diligently with the hands again, pouring out and
pouring on water until it is thoroughly washed. Then
place it into the jar again and boil it with the same
amount of sweet-smelling wine. When it has boiled
twice, remove the jar from the fire and let the fat remain
in there all night. If there is any bad smell left in it the day
after, place it into another ceramic jar, pour
sweet-smelling wine on it again and repeat (as has been
formerly described) until it discards all rank smell. It is
also melted without salt to be used in some sores for
which salt is not indicated. Prepared like this it is not very
white. In the same way panthers', lions', wild boars',
camels', horses', and other similar fats are prepared.
2-91. STEAR POS AROMATISTEON
SUGGESTED: Fats Blended with Scent
C alves' fat as well as fat from bulls and deer and the
bone marrow of deer are given a sweet smell as
follows. Remove the skin from the fat you want to
perfume, wash it as shown above and boil it in fragrant
wine without any sea water in it. Afterwards cool it down
and let it remain all night. Then pour in more of the same
kind of wine, the same amount as before, melt it and
carefully skim it. For every four and a half pints of fat add
seven teaspoonfuls of juncus arabicus [1-16, 4-52], If you
would like to make it smell sweeter, add to this forty
teaspoonfuls of flowers of juncus arabicus, and as many
teaspoonfuls of palm, cassia and calamus [1-1 7, 1-114], and
one teaspoon each of aspalathus [1-19] and xylobalsamum
[1-18]. Mix with all of this one ounce each of cinnamon,
cardamom and nardus[ 1-6, 1-7, 1-8, 1-10]. Let all of them
be pounded very finely. Afterwards pour in fragrant
216
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
wine, cork the jar tightly, set it securely over coals and
boil it all together three times. Then take it from the fire
and let it remain in the jar all night. On the following day
pour out the wine and put in more of the same kind, boil
it together three times in a similar way and remove it. On
the next morning (after having taken out the salt) pour
out the wine, then wash the jar and take away the filth
that sticks in the bottom, melt and strain the fat, put it in
jars and use it.
In the same way fat that was prepared beforehand is
made sweet smelling. The previously described fats are
first thickened as follows so that they may more readily
receive the strength of the sweet odour. Take the fat and
boil it with wine; place in there a myrtle branch,
serpyllum, [3-46] and Cyprus [1-124], as well as aspalathus
[1-19] (all thoroughly pounded). Some are content with
one of these for this purpose. When the fat has boiled for
the third time, take it off gently, strain it through a linen
cloth and then aromatize it as described already.
Fats are also thickened as follows. Pound whatever
fats you have (which are new and not mixed with blood
or having other marks which have been often spoken of).
Put them into a new jar and pour in old odoriferous
white wine so that it exceeds eight fingers in depth. Boil
them together using a slow fire until the fat has lost its
native scent and rather smells of the wine. Then take off
the jar and cool it. Take out two pounds of the fat and
place it into a jar and add four half-pints of the same wine
and four pounds of pounded seeds from a lotus tree
[1-171], and that tree whose wood those who make pipes
use. Boil it over a gentle fire stirring it around
continuously, and when it has lost all its strong greasy
smell, strain it and let it cool. Take one pound of bruised
aspalathus [1-19] and four pounds of the flowers of
amaracinum [1-68], steep them in old wine and let them
absorb it for one night. Then on the following day put
them with the fat into a new ceramic jar that will hold
three gallons, and add to this two and a quarter litres of
wine and boil everything together. When the fat has
received all the strength and smell of the thickeners take
it down, strain it, melt it and put it in jars. If you wish to
make it smell sweeter, mix with all of this eight
teaspoonfuls of the fattest myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116]
diluted in very old wine.
217
FATS
Poultry or goose grease is given a sweet scent as
follows. Take two pints of either of these fats (which have
been already prepared), place them into an earthenware
pot, mix with it exactly twelve teaspoonfuls each of
pounded erysisceptrum [1-4], xylobalsamum [1-18], palma
elaterium [4-155], and calamus [1-17, 1-114], and having
added to this one wine-cupful of old Lesbos wine, set it
over the coals and make it boil three times. Then take the
jar from the fire and allow the things in it to cool for one
day and night. The following day melt them and press
them through a clean linen cloth into a clean jar. When
the fat congeals take it out with a spoon (as previously
described) put it into a new ceramic jar, stop it tightly,
and put the jars in a very cold place. All this must be done
in the winter for in the summer it will not adhere
together. Some to help the process mix in a little
Tyrrhenian wax. In the same way both swine fat and bear
fat and other similar fats are given a fragrant smell.
2-92. STEAR POS SAMPSUCHITETAI
To Perfume Fat with Sampsuchum
suggested: A maracus, M aiorana [Fuchs], M ajorana vulgaris
[Bauhin ], Sampsuchum, Sampsucum, Origanum majorum
[Pliny], Origanum major ana [Linneaus],
Origanum majoranoides, M ajorana horten sis
— Sweet Marjoram, Knotted Marjoram
F at is made to smell like sampsuchum as follows. Take
one pound of well-prepared fat (especially bulls' fat)
and a pound and a half of carefully bruised ripe
sampsuchum, mix them, sprinkle on it a good quantity of
wine and form them into little cakes. Afterwards place
them into a jar, cover them and let them remain for that
night. In the morning throw them into a ceramic jar, pour
water on them and boil them gently. When the fat loses
its own taste, strain it and let it stand (well-covered) all
that night. The next morning take out the paste, and
having cooled it, wipe away the filth in the bottom. Mix in
again another pound and a half of bruised sampsuchum
(as before), and make it into little cakes again, repeating
the remainder of the process. Most importantly boil and
strain it, and additionally take away the filth if any
remains in the bottom, and put it in jars in a very cold
place.
218
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-93. STEAR CHENEION KAI
ORNITHEION
SUGGESTED: Preserving Fat of Geese and Poultry
I f anyone wants to preserve fat of geese, poultry or
calves (which has not been prepared) from putrefying,
it can be done as follows. Take whichever fresh fat you
have, wash it well, and after you have thoroughly cooled
it in a sieve in the shade (when it is dry) put it into a clean
linen cloth and press it out strongly with your hands.
Then (having put a string through it) hang it up in a
shady place. After many days wrap it in new paper and
put it in jars in a very cold place. Fats also remain pure
stored in honey.
2-94. STEATON DUNAMIS
SUGGESTED: Medicinal uses of Fats
A ll fat is warming, softening and purifying; yet that of
bulls, cows and calves is somewhat astringent. The
lions' is similar to these and they say it is an antidote to
defend against those who intend treachery. Fat from
elephants and deer (rubbed on) drives away snakes. That
from goats is more astringent, as a result it is given boiled
with polenta, rhoe [4-64] and cheese for dysentery; and
with barley water as a suppository or enema. The broth of
these fats (sipped) is good for those with pulmonary
consumption, and is effective given as an antidote to
those who have taken a drink of parasitically infected
water. Fat from goats has the most dissolving nature and
helps the gouty, tempered with the berries of a goat [i.e.
with goat's dung] and saffron and applied. Sheep fat is
equivalent to this. Swines' fat is applied for disorders of
the womb and perineum, and is also good for those burnt
by fire. The same (kept in salt and grown very old in there
as it were) warms and soothes. Washed in wine it is good
for pleurisy. The same (applied with ash or chalk) is good
for oedema, inflammation and fistulas [ulcers]. They say
that ass’s fat makes scars all one colour. Fats of geese and
poultry are good for women's disorders, cracks of the
lips, clearing the face, and for sores of the ears. Bears' fat is
thought to make hair that was destroyed by alopecid
219
FATS
[baldness] grow again, and is good for chilblains. Foxes'
fat cures sores of the ears. Fat of river fish (melted in the
sun and mixed with honey) rubbed on the eyes clears
their sight. The fat of a viper mixed (in equal parts) with
cedrid [1-105] Attic [Athenian] honey and old oil is also
good for dullness of the sight and liquids in the eyes. It
makes hair in the armpits that has been removed never
come up again, applied by itself at the roots of the hair
[depilatory].
2-95. MUELOI
SUGGESTED: Bone Marrow
D eer marrow is the best, then that from a calf, after,
that from a bull, then a goat and a sheep. They are
gathered at the time when spring is drawing on, and
towards the autumn, for at other times of the year it is
found in the bones — looking bloody and similar to flesh
that is easily broken. It is hard to recognise except by
whoever takes it out of the bones and preserves it. All
marrow is softening, purifying, and healing, and fills up
the hollow sores of ulcers. The bone marrow of a deer
(rubbed on) also drives away venomous creatures. It is
prepared like fat [above] being taken out of the choicest
and freshest bones. Water is poured on it, and afterwards
it is strained through a linen cloth and similarly washed
until the water becomes clean. Afterwards it is melted in a
double jar, the filth that swims on top is taken off with a
feather, and it is strained out into a mortar. After it has
congealed it is stored in a new earthenware jar, the filth
that lies at the bottom having been carefully scraped
away. If you want to store it unprepared follow the
directions given in fats of poultry and of geese.
2-96. CHOLE PASA
SUGGESTED: Gall from various Animals
A ll kinds of gall is prepared and stored as follows.
Take gall that is new, bind the mouth [of the gall
bladder] with a linen thread, put it into boiling water, and
then let it remain for as long as it would take to travel
three furlongs [3/8 mile]. Afterwards take it out and dry it
220
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
in a shady dry place. For galls that you intend to mix with
eye medicines, bind them with a linen thread, put them
into a glass bottle containing honey, tie the beginning of
the thread to the mouth of the bottle, then cork it and put
it in storage.
All kinds of gall are sharp and warming, varying in
strength depending on their source. Galls from sea
scorpions [2-14], the fish called callionymus [ uranoscopus ],
sea turtles and hyenas seem to be more effective; as well
as that of partridge, eagle, white hens and wild she-goats.
They serve effectively for liquids and darkness of the eyes
that has recently begun, argema [small white ulcer on the
cornea], and coarse eyelids. A bull's gall is more effective
than that from a sheep, swine, or goat, as well as that
from a bear. All of them have a tendency to laxativeness
(especially in children), if, dipping a lock of wool in there,
you apply it to the perineum. Bulls' gall with honey is
effectively rubbed on those troubled with tonsillitis. It
heals [ulcers] on the perineum to a scar, and purulent
ears and cracks in them, dropped in with goats' m i lk or
women's, and it is also good for noise in the ears
[dropped in] with juice from leeks. It is put into wound
plasters, and ointments that are rubbed about the body to
prevent poisoning. It is good with honey against
spreading erosive ulcers, and pains of the genitals and of
the scrotum. It is an excellent cleanser for leprosy and
dandruff with nitre [potassium nitrate — saltpetre] or
fuller's earth [ammonium silicate]. Sheep and bear galls
are good for the same purposes but they are somewhat
weaker: bear gall (taken in a linctus [syrup]) helps those
with falling sickness. Gall from a tortoise is put into the
nostrils for tonsillitis, and is also good for gangrenous
ulceration in the mouths of children, and epilepsy. Gall
from a wild she-goat rubbed on effectively cures the
dim-sighted. That from a he-goat does the same, and also
takes away glandular fever. Rubbed on, it represses the
protuberances of elephantiasis [skin disease]. Gall from
swine is effective taken for ulcers in the ears and all the
other things.
221
FATS
2-97. PERI HAIMATON
Blood — CAUTION
B lood from a goose, duck, drake, or kid are usefully
mixed with antidotes. Blood from a wood dove,
turtle, pigeon, and partridge are rubbed on new sores on
eyes and on eyes that are bloodshot and have dull sight.
In particular that from a pigeon stops bleeding from the
meninges [membranes of the spinal cord and brain] . Blood
from a he-goat, she-goat, deer or hare (fried in a pan and
eaten) stop dysentery and discharges of the abdominal
cavity. Taken in a drink with wine it is an antidote against
poison. A hare's blood rubbed on warm cures sunburn
and freckles. Dog's blood (taken as a drink) is good for
those bitten by a mad dog, or who have taken poison in a
drink. Blood from an earth tortoise (taken as a drink) is
said to be good for epileptics. Blood of a sea turtle (taken
in a drink with wine, rennet of a hare and cumin), is good
against the bites of venomous creatures, and an antidote
for drinking anything hateful or loathsome. Blood from a
bull applied with polenta disperses and softens hardness.
Blood of stall i on horses is mixed with antiseptic
medicines. Blood from a chamaeleon is believed to make
the eyelids hairless, and that from green frogs is thought
to have the same effectiveness. The menstrual blood of a
woman rubbed on her (or if she walks over it) is thought
to keep her from conception; yet rubbed on it alleviates
the pains of gout and erysipela [streptococcal skin
infection].
2-98. APOPATOS
Dung — CAUTION
T he dung of a cow from the herd (applied whil s t fresh)
lessens the inflammation of wounds. It is wrapped in
leaves, warmed in hot ashes, and applied. The
application of it in the same way serves as a warm pack
for lessening sciatica. Applied with vinegar it dissolves
hardness, scrofulous tumours [goitres], and bone
inflammation. In particular, breathing smoke from the
burning dung of a male beast of the herd restores a uterus
that has fallen down, and the fumes also drive gnats
222
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
away. The berries [dung] of goats, especially those that
live on the mountains, (taken in a drink with wine) cures
yellow jaundice. Taken in a drink with spices they induce
the menstrual flow and are an abortifacient. Dried and
pounded into small pieces and applied in wool with
frankincense they stop the flows of women, and with
vinegar they restrain other discharges of blood. They
cure baldness, burnt and rubbed on with vinegar or
vinegar and honey. Applied with swines' grease they
help the gouty. Boiled with vinegar or wine they are
applied to the bites of snakes, creeping ulcers, erysipela
[streptococcal skin infection] and parotitis [inflamed
glands e.g. mumps]. Burnt goat dung is effectively taken
for sciatica as follows. In that hollow middle space
between thumb and forefinger where the thumb
approaches towards the wrist, first lay wool moistened in
oil, then lay on it one by one hot pills of goat dung until
the sense of it comes through the arm to the hip and
lessens the pain. This type of burning is called Arabic. The
dung of sheep applied with vinegar heals epinyctis
[pustules which appear only at night], corns, hanging
warts, and warty abnormal growths; as well as burns,
used with a waxy ointment of rosaceum [1-53]. The dry
(dung) of a wild swine (taken as a drink with water or
wine) prevents throwing up of blood, and lessens a long-
enduring pain of the side. For hernia and convulsions it is
taken as a drink with vinegar, and it cures dislocations
used with rosaceum [1-53] waxy ointment. The dung of
asses as well as horses staunches bleeding (whether used
raw or burnt) mixed with vinegar. Dung of one of the
drove that goes at grass (after it is dry) is steeped in wine
and taken as a drink to considerably help those bitten by
scorpions. Doves' dung (being more hot and burning) is
effective mixed with barley meal, but with vinegar it
dissolves tumours [possibly goitre]. It breaks carbuncles
[infected boils] [malignant skin tumours], pounded
together with honey and hempseed and oil, and it heals
burns. Poultry dung does the same but less effectively,
yet in particular it is good (taken in a drink with vinegar
or wine) as an antidote against deadly mushrooms and
the suffering of COli [colic]. Dung of a stork (taken in a
drink with water) is thought to be good for epilepsy.
Inhaled, the smoke of the dung of a vulture is reported to
be an abortifacient. The dung of mice (pounded into
small pieces with vinegar and rubbed on) cures baldness.
223
FATS
Taken as a drink with frankincense and honeyed wine it
expels urinary stones. Mouse dung given to children [as a
suppository] encourages the bowels to evacuate. Dog
dung that is taken up in the heat of the dog days
[midsummer], dried, and taken in a drink with water or
wine, is an astringent for the bowels. That of men
(new-made, applied as a poultice) keeps wounds from
inflaming; and it closes open cuts and joins them
together. Dried and rubbed on with honey it is reported
to help those troubled with tonsillitis. The dung of an
earth crocodile is good for women to colour the face and
make it shine. The best is smallest and soon crumbled,
smooth as amyl [starch] and quickly melted in liquid.
Pounded, it is somewhat sour, resembling fermented
dough in the smell. They counterfeit it by feeding
starlings with rice and selling their dung because it is
similar. Others mix amyl [starch] or cymolia [cimolite —
soft earth — hydrous silicate of alumina], colour it with
anchusd, sift it finely through a thin sieve, dry it until it
looks like little worms and sell it instead of this. (It is
found among secrets that man's dung as well as dogs'
dung mixed with honey and applied to the throat is a
remedy for tonsillitis.)
2-99. PERI OURON
Urine — caution
man's own water (taken as a drink) is an antidote
L JLagainst viper bites, deadly medicines and dropsy as
it begins. And it is applied with hot cloths for the bites of
sea vipers, sea scorpions, and sea dragons [2-15]. Dogs'
urine makes a warm pack for those bitten by mad dogs,
and with saltpetre [potassium nitrate] it cleans leprosy
and itchiness. Older urine is a better cleanser for achor
[scaly eruption of the scalp], dandruff, psoriasis and hot
eruptions, and it represses gangrenous ulcerations, even
those in the genitals. Put into purulent ears it represses
their pus; and boiled in a pomegranate rind it dries out
worms in the ears. The urine of an incorrupt boy (sipped)
is good for asthma; and boiled in brass with honey it
cleans the scar of a healed wound, argemae [small white
ulcers on the cornea], and dim vision. The same urine
with cyprian brass makes a glue for soldering gold
224
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
together. The substance of the urine (rubbed on)
alleviates erysipeld [streptococcal skin infection]. It eases
pains of the womb boiled with cyprinum [1-65] and
applied. It eases those troubled with constriction of the
womb, cleans the eyelids, and purges scars in the eyes.
Bull's urine pounded together with myrrh and dropped
in the ears lessens earache. Boar's urine has a similar
property — more particularly, taken as a drink it breaks
and expels stones in the bladder. Two cups of urine of a
goat taken in a drink with spied ndrdi [spikenard] with
water every day (is said) to expel urine through the
bowels, and dropped in the ears it cures sores of the ears.
Urine of an ass is said to cure inflamed kidneys.
2-100. LUNGOURION
Lyncurium — Urine of a Lynx
L yncurium [urine of a lynx] is thought (as soon as it is
pissed out) to grow into a stone, as a result it has only
a foolish report. Some call this succinum pterygophoron [the
wing of accompaniment] because it draws feathers to it.
Taken as a drink with water it is good for a stomach and
intestines troubled with excessive discharge.
2-101. MELI
SUGGESTED: Honey
ttic [Athenian] honey is the best, especially that
xjLcalled hymettium; the next best is that from the
Cyclad Islands, and that from Sicily called simblium. The
most appreciated is extremely sweet and sharp, with a
fragrant smell, a pale yellow colour, not liquid but
glutinous and firm, and which when taken (as it were)
leaps back to the finger. It is cleansing, opens pores, and
draws out fluids. As a result it is good for all rotten and
hollow ulcers when infused. Boiled and applied it heals
flesh that stands separated, and it cures lichen [skin
disease with red pustules] boiled with liquid allom
[5-123] and applied; as well as noise in the ears and their
pains, dropped in lukewarm with salt dug up or mined
sea shells pounded into small pieces. Rubbed on it kill s
lice and nits, and restores the exposed nut of the yard [old
225
FATS
English — rod, penis] which was opened by
circumcision, the foreskin being softened with honey
(especially after bathing) for thirty days. It cleans away
things that darken the pupils of the eyes. It heals
inflammations around the throat and tonsils, and
tonsillitis, either rubbed on or gargled. It induces the
movement of urine, and cures coughs and those bitten by
snakes. Taken warm with rosaceum [1-53] it is an antidote
for meconium [4-65]; and is either licked or taken in a drink
for fungi and those bitten by mad dogs. Raw [honey]
inflates the intestines and encourages coughs — as a
result you ought to use clarified [honey]. Spring honey is
the best, then that of summer, but that of winter (being
thicker) is the worst, causing weals and blisters.
2-102. MELI SARDOON
SUGGESTED: Sardinian Honey
T he honey that is made in Sardinia is bitter because
the bees feed on wormwood [3-26] yet it is good
rubbed on the face for sunburn and spots.
2-103. MELI PONTIKON
SUGGESTED: Heraclean Honey
A t some times (of the year) honey is made in Heraclea
of Pontus which, from the property of certain
flowers, makes eaters of it beside themselves with
sweating, but they are helped by eating rue [3-52, 3-53,
4-98] and salt meat and drinking mead [honey wine],
taking these as often as they vomit. It is sharp and the
smell causes sneezing. Rubbed on with COStum [1-15] it
heals sunburn, and with salt it takes away bruises.
2-104. SAKCHARON
suggested: A rundo saccharifera, Saccharum officinale,
Bambusa arundinacea — Sugar Reeds
T here is a kind of coalesced honey called sugar found
in reeds in India and Arabia the happy, similar in
consistency to salt and brittle [enough] to be broken
226
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
between the teeth like salt. It is good dissolved in water
for the intestines and stomach, and taken as a drink to
help a painful bladder and kidneys. Rubbed on it
disperses things which darken the pupils.
2-105. KEROS
SUGGESTED: Beeswax
T he best wax is a pale yellow, somewhat fat, with a
sweet taste and having the scent as it were of honey,
yet pure. It is usually either Pontic or Cretan. The next
best is somewhat white and fat. Wax is made white as
follows. Cut clean wax into small pieces, put it into a new
jar and pour on it as much sea water (taken out of the
deep) as shall be sufficient, and boil it, sprinkling a little
saltpetre [potassium nitrate] on it. When it has boiled two
or three times remove the jar, let it cool, take out the calce
[lime] and scrape off the filth if there is any around it, and
boil it again, adding more fresh seawater to it. When the
wax has boiled again (as before) remove the jar from the
fire, take the bottom of a new little jar (first moistened in
cold water), let it down gently into the wax, dipping it in a
little with a soft touch, that a little of it may be taken, and
that it may be coalesced together separately. Having
taken it up, pull off the first cake and let down the bottom
of the jar again, cooling it in water again, and do this until
you have taken up all the wax. Then pierce the little cakes
with a linen thread and hang them up at some distance
from one another. In the daytime set them in the sun,
sprinkle them every now and then with water, and at
night set them under the moon until they become
perfectly white. If anyone wants to make it
extraordinarily white let him do these things in the same
way but let him boil it more often. Some, instead of sea
water taken out of the deep, boil it as previously
described once or twice in very sharp brine, then
afterwards they take it out on a thin, round bottle with a
handle. Afterwards, laying the little round cakes on thick
grass, they place them in the sun until at last they become
wonderfully white. They advise to set about this work in
the spring when the sun both lessens its intensity and
yields dew, so that the wax does not melt. All wax is
warming, softening and reasonably filling. It is mixed in
227
FATS
broths for dysentery, and is swallowed down in an
amount equal to ten grains of millet, as it does not allow
the milk to curdle in those who suckle [breastfeeding].
2-106. PROPOLIS
SUGGESTED: Bee-glue
T he yellow bee-glue that has a sweet scent and
resembles StyrdX [1-79] should be chosen, and which
is soft, excessively dry, and easy to spread (like mastic
[1-90]). It is extremely warm and attractive, and draws
out thorns and splinters. The smoke from it (inhaled)
helps old coughs, and it is applied to take away lichen
[skin disease with red pustules]. It is found around the
mouths of hives, being similar in nature to wax.
Blepharis edulis
after FAGUET — 1874
228
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
FRUMENTACEA: CEREALS
2-107. PUROI
suggested: Tritici primum genus, Triticum vulgare [Fuchs]
Triticum sativum, Triticum aesetivum, Triticum tertium genus
[Fuchs ], Triticum turegidum [Linnaeus] — Wheat
[other usage] Pirum, Pyrum, Puroi — Pear Tree [Pliny]
T he most effective pyrum [wheat] for the preservation
of health is new, fully ripe and a yellowish colour.
Then after this is trimestre [called this because it is ripe in
three months] called by some sitanium, which eaten raw
breeds worms in the loins [lower torso]. Chewed and
applied it helps those bitten by a mad dog. Bread made of
the flour of it is more nourishing than the pan is cibarius
[from the merchants] but that from the meal of trimestris
is lighter and quickly distributed.
Wheat meal is applied as a plaster with juice of
hyoscyamus [4-69] for discharges of the nerves and puffing
up of the bowels; with vinegar and honey it takes away
freckles. Bran boiled with sharp vinegar and applied as a
warm poultice removes leprosy, and is a convenient
poultice for all inflammations as they begin. Boiled with a
decoction of rue it represses swelling breasts, and is good
for those bitten by vipers, or troubled with griping. The
fermented dough of the meal (being warming and
extractive) effectively lessens calluses in the soles of the
feet. It ripens and opens other protuberances and boils or
inflammatory tumours with salt. Meal from si tan i an
wheat is good applied as a poultice with vinegar or wine
for those bitten by venomous creatures. Boiled like glue
and taken as linctus [syrup] it helps those who spit blood.
It is good against coughs and irritations of the arteries
boiled together with mint and butter. Wheat flour boiled
with honey and water, or oil mixed with water, dissolves
any inflammation. Bread (either raw or baked) applied
with honey and water lessens all inflammation, is very
softening, and somewhat cooling, mixed with some
herbs or juices. Both by itself or mixed with other things,
wheat that is old and dry stops loose bowels. Wheat that
is new (steeped in brine and applied) cures old lichen
[papular skin disease]. Glue made either of fine flour or
229
FRUMENTACEA: CEREALS
the finest meal for gluing books, is good for those who
spit blood, if it is made more liquid and lukewarm and a
spoonful is sipped up.
2-108. KRITHE
suggested: Hordeum polystichum, Hordeum distichum [Fuchs],
Hordeum distichon [Brunfels, Linnaeus],
H ordeum tetrastichum [in Sprague] — Two-row Barley
H ordeum sativum, H ordeum vuigare — Six-row Barley
see 2-157, Crithmum maritimum
T he best crithe is is white and clean but it is less
nourishing than wheat; yet crithe water is more
nourishing than the polenta that is made of it by reason of
the cream that comes off it in the boiling. It is good for
irritations, roughness of the arteries and ulcers. Wheat
water is also good for these things as it is more nourishing
and diuretic. It causes an abundance of milk
[breastfeeding] boiled together with marathrum [3-81]
seed and sipped. It is urinary, cleansing, flatulent, bad for
the stomach, and ripens oedema. Meal of it boiled with
figs, honey and water dissolves oedema and
inflammation. It digests hard lumps with pitch, rosin and
doves' dung. It brings ease to those troubled with pain in
their side with met Hot [3-48] and the heads of poppies. It is
applied as a poultice with flax seed, fenugreek and rue
[3-52, 3-53, 4-98] against gaseousness in the intestines.
With moist pitch, wax, the urine of an uncorrupted child
and oil it ripens scrofulous tumours [glandular swelling,
goitres]. With myrtle, wine, wild pears, bramble, or
pomegranate rinds it stops discharges of the bowels.
With quinces or vinegar it is good for gouty
inflammation. Boiled with sharp vinegar (as a poultice
made of crithe meal) and applied warm it cures leprosy.
Juice extracted out of the meal with water and boiled
with pitch and oil is good for discharges of the joints.
Meal of crithe stops discharges of the bowels and lessens
inflammation.
230
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-109. ZUTHOS
suggested: Zythum, H ordeum sativum, Hordeum vulgare
[Pliny] — Soured Barley Water, Egyptian Malt Liquor
Z ythum is made from barley. It is diuretic but hurtful
to the kidneys and nerves (being especially bad for
the neural membrane). It is also wind inducing, produces
bad fluids, and causes leprosy. Ivory steeped in it is made
fit to work on.
2-110. KOURMI
suggested: Hordeum sativum, Hordeum vulgare
— Fermented Barley Drink
A drink is made from barley, called curmi, which
people often drink instead of wine. It causes
headaches, breeds ill fluids, and hurts the tendons. There
are similar sorts of drink made from wheat in western
Iberia and in Brittany.
2-111. ZEIA
suggested: Zeaea/terum genus [Fuchs], Zea briza dicta,
Zea monococcus germanica [Brunfels], Triticum monococcum
— Small Spelt, Engrain, One-grained Wheat
Zeaeprimum genus [Fuchs], Zeaedi coccus major [Bauhin]
T riticum dicoccum — Emmer Wheat, Two-grained Wheat
T ri ti cu m zea, T ri ti cum speita — Spelt Wheat, Dinkel Wheat
T here are two kinds of zea — one single and the other
dicoccous, having the seed joined in two husks. It is
more nourishing than barley, pleasant-tasting to the
mouth, but made into bread it is less nourishing than
wheat.
231
FRUMENTACEA: CEREALS
2-112. KRIMNON
suggested: Triticum zea,Triticum spelta — Spelt Wheat,
Dinkel Wheat
T riticum dicoccum — Emmer Wheat, Two-grained Wheat
Triticum vuigare, Triticum sativum, Triticum aesetivum
— Wheat
C rimnum from which porridge is made is the coarsest
meal that is made from zea and wheat. It is
abundantly nourishing and easy to digest, but that from
zea is more astringent to the bowels, especially dried by
the fire beforehand.
2-113. OLURA
suggested: Oiyra, Spelta, Triticum romanum [Bedevian]
O lyra [grain] is very similar to zea but somewhat less
nourishing. It is also made into bread and crimnum
[porridge] is similarly made of it.
2-114. ATHERA
suggested: Triticum zea, Triticum spelta — Alica,
Spelt Wheat, Dinkel Wheat
T riticum dicoccum — Emmer Wheat, Two-grained Wheat
A t her a is made of zea ground very small. It is a spoon-
meal (similar to liquid porridge) suitable for
children, and it is good in plasters.
2-115. TRAGOS
suggested: Tragus berteronianus — Carrot Seed Grass
T ragus is somewhat similar in shape to chondrus
[below] but is much less nourishing than zea [above]
because it has much chaff. As a result it is hard to digest
and softens the bowels.
232
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
233
FRUMENTACEA: CEREALS
234
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-116. BROMOS
suggested: A vena [Fuchs], Avena vulgaris [Bauhin]
A vena sativa var [3 [Linnaeus] — Oats
[other usage] Bromus arvensis — Corn Brome Grass
Bromus temulentus, Lolium temulentum, Crepolea temulentum
— Darnel, Cheat, Ryegrass, Ivray
NARCOTIC
see 4-140
B romus is a grass similar to wheat in the leaves,
distinguished by knots, and it has fruit on the top (as
it were, two-footed little locusts) in which is the seed, as
effective for poultices as barley. Porridge is also made
from it for binding the intestines. Cream of bromus is
sipped to help those troubled with a cough.
2-117. ORUZA
suggested: Oryza sativa — Rice
O ryza is a kind of grass growing in marshy and moist
places, moderately nourishing and binding to the
bowels.
2-118. CHONDROS
suggested -.Triticum zea,Triticum spelta — Spelt Wheat,
Dinkel Wheat
T riticum dicoccum — Emmer Wheat, Two-grained Wheat
C hon dr us is made of grain called zea dicoccos, more
nourishing than rice, and more binding to the
intestines, but far better for the stomach. Boiled with
vinegar it takes away leprosy; and rubbed on it drives
away pitted nails, cures aegilopses [ulcer or fistula in the
inner angle of the eye] that are new, and a decoction of it
is a fit suppository for those who have dysentery with
much pain.
0 ryza sativa
after FAGUET — 1892
235
FRUMENTACEA: CEREALS
2-119. KENCHROS
suggested: M ilium [Fuchs], Panicum chrus-galli,
Echinochloa chrus-galli, Oplismenus chrus-galli
— Small Millet, Barnyard Grass, Cockspur Panicum
Panicum miliaceum [Linnaeus] — Millet, Panic Millet
Setaria italica, C haetochloa italica — Italian Millet
[other usage] Cenchrus lappaceus — Bur Cenchrus
enchrus (which the Romans call millet) is less
nourishing than other grains, but made into bread
(or used as porridge) it stops discharges of the intestines
and induces the passing of urine. Heated and put warm
into bags [as a hot pad] it helps griping and other
disorders.
2-120. ELUMOS
suggested: Panicum [Fuchs], Setaria italica [in Sprague]
[other usage] Lyme Grass, Marram, Mat Grass
— Elymus arenarius
E lymus is of grain seeds similar to millet which are
made into meal in the same way, and are effective for
the same uses, yet are less nourishing than m i llet and less
astringent. The Romans call it panicum, and others call it
melinen.
2-121. SESAMON
suggested: Sesamum indicum, Sesamum orientale,
Sesamum oleiferum — Sesame seeds, Gingelly, Gingili
S esamum is hurtful to the stomach and causes a
stinking breath in the mouth, if after it is eaten it
remains between the teeth. Applied it disperses
thicknesses in the nerves. It heals fractures, inflammation
in the ears, burns, disorders of the colon, and the bites of
the horned viper. With rosaceum [1-53] it eases headaches
caused by heat. The herb boiled in wine does the same. It
is especially good for inflammation and sores of the eyes.
Oil is made [from the seeds] of it that the Egyptians use.
236
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
237
FRUMENTACEA: CEREALS
: 4 Afparagus altilis*
K'icymtfd) Sparge ft*
238
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-122. AIRA
suggested: Lolium [Fuchs], Lychnis segetum major [Bauhin],
Agrostemma githago [Linnaeus] — Com Cockle
[other usage] M olinia caerulea, A ira coerulea
— Purple Molinia, Lavender Grass, Blawing Grass
see 2-116
A ira (which grows among wheat) ground up has the
power to remove the edges from nomae [grazer
disease, eats away muscle, tissue and bones], rotten
ulcers, and gangrene, applied as a poultice with radishes
and salt. With natural sulphur and vinegar it cures wild
lichenae [skin disease] and leprosy. Boiled in wine with
pigeons' dung and flaxseed it dissolves scrofulous
tumours [glandular swelling, goitres], and breaks open
swellings that are hard to ripen. Boiled with honey and
water and applied as a poultice it is good for those with
sciatica. The smoke inhaled with polenta, myrrh [1-77,
1-73, 4-116], saffron, or frankincense helps conception.
The Romans call it lolium, and it is also called thyaron.
2-123. AMULON
SUGGESTED: Starch, Amyl
A myl is called this because it is made without the help
of a m i l l . The best is made of that wheat which
ripens in three months and grows in Crete or Egypt. It is
made from this clean three-months wheat [sitanium or
trimestre ] being steeped in water five times a day, and if it
is possible in the night too. When it has become soft you
must pour out the water gently without jogging so that
the best starch is not poured out together with it. When it
appears to be very soft (having poured out the water) it
must be trod with the feet, and having poured in (other)
water again it must be pounded. Then the bran that lies
underneath must be taken away with a skimmer, and
that which is left must be strained, and after it is strained
you are to dry it on new tiles in a very warm sun, for if it
remains moist even a little it presently grows sour. It is
effective against discharges of the eyes, hollow ulcers and
pustules. Taken in a drink it stops the throwing-up of
239
FRUMENTACEA: CEREALS
blood, as well as disorders of the arteries. It is mixed with
milk and sauces. Starch is also made from zed [Triticum
zed ] that is steeped for one or two days, kneaded with the
hands like dough, and dried in a very hot sun (as has
been formerly described). This is not fit for bodily use but
for other uses it is fit enough.
240
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
241
FRUMENTACEA: CEREALS
2)i Milium*
242
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
2-124. TELEOS ALEURON, TELIS
suggested: Foenograecum, Foenumgraecum [Fuchs],
Foenumgraecum sativum [Bauhin],
Trigonella foenum-graecum [Linnaeus] — Fenugreek
T el is [flour of fenugreek] and meal of fenugreek are
softening and dispersing. Pounded into small pieces
with boiled honey and water and applied as a poultice, it
is good for both inner and outer inflammation. Pounded
into small pieces and applied as a plaster with saltpetre
[potassium nitrate] and vinegar it reduces the spleen. A
decoction of it is a bath for women's problems caused
either from inflammation or closure (of the vulva). The
cream of it (boiled in water and strained out) cleans hair,
dandruff and scaly eruptions on the scalp. It is inserted
instead of a pessary with goose grease, softening and
dilating the places about the womb. With vinegar the
green leaves are good for weak and ulcerated places. A
decoction is used for ineffective straining at stools or
urination, and for stinking loose bowels from dysentery.
The oil (with myrtle) cleans hair and scars in the private
parts.
It is also called carpon, buceras, aegoceras, ceraitis , or
lotos, the Latins call it foenumgraecum, and the Egyptians,
itasin.
2-125. LINON
SUGGESTED: Linum sativum [Bauhin],
Linum usitatissimum — Flax
L inum [flax] is commonly known. The seed (boiled
with honey and oil and a little water, or taken in
boiled honey) has the same strength as fenugreek,
dispersing and softening all inflammation inwardly and
outwardly. Used raw (applied as a plaster with saltpetre
[potassium nitrate] and figs) it takes away sunburn and
varicose veins. With lye it disperses inflammation of the
parotid gland and hard lumps. Boiled with wine it cleans
away herpes [viral skin infection] and favus [contagious
243
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
skin disease]. It takes off pitted nails, taken with an equal
amount of nasturtium [2-185] and honey. Taken with
honey instead of syrup, it brings up things from the chest
and it relieves coughs. Mixed with honey and pepper
into a flat cake and eaten, it encourages the pursuit of
sexual pleasure [aphrodisiac]. A decoction is given as a
suppository for ulcers of the bowels and womb, as well as
for expelling excrement; and it is very good (like a
decoction of fenugreek) used as a hip bath for
inflammation of the womb. It is also called Unocal amis,
anion, or linon agrion ; the Romans call it linomyrum, and
the Africans, zer aphis.
2 - 126 . EREBINTHOS
suggested: Cicer nigrum [Fuchs], Cicer sativum [Bauhin]
Cicer arietinum [Linnaeus] — Chick-pea, Gram
A stragalus cicer, Phaca cicer — Mountain Chickpea, Vetch
Erebus — God of the Underworld
icer that is set or sown is agreeable to the stomach.
diuretic, causes winds and a good colour all around,
expels the menstrual flow, is an abortifacient, and
encourages milk. It is applied as a poultice (especially
boiled with ervum [2-129, 2-131]) for inflammation from
stones [urinary, kidney], protruding warts, scabs,
running ulcers of the head, and for lichenae [skin disease],
and cancerous malignant ulcers with barley and honey.
The other type is called arietinus and both of them are
diuretic, a decoction being given with libanotis
[medicated drinks] for yellow jaundice and dropsy; but
they hurt an ulcerated bladder and the kidneys. Some
touch the top of every wart with a cicer when the moon is
new, some with one, some with another, bind them up in
a linen cloth and command them to be put backward, as
though the warts would fall away by these means. There
is also a wild cicer with leaves similar to that which is set
or sown, sharp in smell but different in the seed,
serviceable for the same uses as the set plants.
244
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Nelumbonudfera
after FAGUET — 1888
245
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
210 Faba uuTga ris*
iSemcin £oncn.
246
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-127. KUAMOS HELLENIKOS
SUGGESTED: Fate, Fate vulgaris [Fuchs]
V icia faba [Linnaeus] — Broad Bean
Cyamus, Cyamos, Colocasia [Pliny] — Egyptian Bean
see 2-197, 2-128
C yamus. The Greek bean is windy, flatulent, hard to
digest, and causes troublesome dreams. Yet it is
good for coughs and gaining body weight, as it is in the
midst of hot and cold. Boiled with vinegar and honey and
eaten with the husks it stops dysentery and discharges of
the coeliac [intestinal complaints]; and eaten it is good
against vomiting. It is made less flatulent if the first water
in which it was boiled is thrown away. Green [raw] beans
are worse for the stomach and more wind inducing. Meal
from the bean (applied as a poultice either by itself or
with polenta) lessens inflammation from a stroke, makes
scars all one colour, helps swollen inflamed breasts, and
dries up milk. With honey and meal of fenugreek it
dissolves boils or inflammatory tumours, parotid
tumours, and blueness under the eyes. With roses,
frankincense and the white of an egg it represses the
falling-forwards of the eyes. Staphylomata [inflammatory
protrusion of the cornea] and oedema. Kneaded with
wine it helps excessive liquids and blows to the eyes.
Chewed without the husks, it is applied to the forehead
as a coolant for discharges. Boiled in wine it cures the
inflammation of stones [urinary, kidney]. Applied as a
poultice to the place where the pubic hair grows in
children, it keeps them hairless for a long time. It cleans
vitiligines [form of leprosy]. If the husks are applied as a
poultice it makes hair that has been plucked grow out
emaciated and thin. Applied with polenta, alumen [5-123]
and old oil it dissolves scrofulous tumours [glandular
swelling], A decoction of it dyes wool. It is applied to
discharges of blood caused by leeches, shelled and
divided in two parts as it grew. The cut half closely
pressed on suppresses it.
247
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
2-128. KUAMOS AIGUPTIOS
suggested: N el u mbi um speciosum, N el umbo nucifera,
Nelumbium nelumbo, Nymphaea nelumbo, Nelumbo nucifera
— Nelumbo, East Indian Lotus, Sacred Bean,
Egyptian Bean, Pythagorean Bean, Seed of the Lotus
see 2-127
T he Egyptian bean (which some call pontican) grows
abundantly in Egypt, Asia and Cilicia, and is found in
marshy places. It has a leaf as great as a hat, a stalk the
height of a foot, about the thickness of a finger. The
flower is a rose colour, twice as big as the flower of a
poppy. Having done blowing it bears pods similar to little
bags, in each of which is a little bean (standing out above
the covering) similar to a little bladder. It is called ciborium
or cibotium (as we should say, loculamentum) because the
setting of the bean is made when it is put in moist land
and so left in the water. The root is thicker than that of the
reed and lies underneath. This is used either boiled or
raw and is called collocasia. The bean itself is also eaten
green, but when dry it grows black and is bigger than the
Greek one, astringent, and good for the stomach. As a
result the meal that is made from them, sprinkled on
instead of polenta, is good for dysentery and the
abdominal cavity, and it is given as a porridge. The husks
work better boiled in mu I sum [honey, water and wine]
and three cupfuls of it given to drink. The green in the
middle of them is bitter to taste, and good for earache,
pounded into small pieces, boiled with rosaceum [1-53]
and dropped in the ears.
2-129. PHAKOS
SUGGESTED: Lens [Fuchs], Lens vulgaris [Bauhin],
Ervum lens [Linnaeus], Lens esculenta, Lens culinaris — Lentils
see 2-131
P haca (which the Latins call lens or lentils) is frequently
eaten. It is dulling to the sight, hard to digest,
worthless for the stomach, puffs up the stomach and
intestines with wind, but is therapeutic for the intestines
if eaten with the husks. The best is easily digested and
248
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Lens* 4 97
Jlmferu
249
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
Fanumgracunu
Boc^oin-
4^1
250
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
leaves nothing black when steeping it. It is astringent; as
a result it is therapeutic for the bowels, if the husks are
taken away first, and it is well boiled. The first water in
which it is boiled is thrown away as the first boiling is
laxative to the bowels. It causes troublesome dreams and
is bad for sinewy parts, the lungs and the head. It will do
its proper work better against discharges of the bowels if
it is mixed with vinegar, in tubus [endive], purslane, black
beet, myrtle berries, pomegranate rinds, dry roses,
medlars, service fruit, Theban pears, dates, the fruit of
coton ea [1-160], chicory, plantain, whole galls [oak galls]
(which are thrown away after they are boiled), or rhoe
[4-64] which is sprinkled on meats. The vinegar must be
carefully boiled with it otherwise it troubles the bowels.
Thirty grains of lentils (pilled and swallowed) help a
churning stomach. Boiled and re-boiled with polenta and
applied, it lessens gout. With honey it joins together the
hollowness of sores, breaks the scabs of ulcers and cleans
them. Boiled with vinegar it disperses hard lumps and
scrofulous tumours [glandular swelling, goitres]. With
met Hot [3-48] or the fruit of coton ea (and rosaceum [1-53]
mixed with it all) it heals inflammation of the eyes and
the perineum. For a worse inflammation of the perineum
and large hollow sores, it is boiled with pomegranate
rinds or dry roses as well as honey. It is good with
seawater for ulcers of the cheek that have become
gangrenous. It is good taken as previously described for
shingles [herpes], pustules, erysipela [streptococcal skin
infection] and chilblains. Boiled in seawater and applied
it helps swollen breasts and curdling milk in women's
breasts.
251
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
2-130. PHASIOLOS
suggested: Phasiolus, Isopyron, Isopyrum, Phaseolites,
Phaseolus, Phasel [Pliny], Phaseolus lunatus [Linnaeus in
Mabberley] — Pulses
[other usage] Phaseolus vulgaris, Phaseolus coccineus
— French Beans, Kidney Beans, Scarlet Runner Beans,
Haricot Beans
see 4-121, 2-176
P hasiolus is flatulent, stirs up wind, and is hard to
digest. Boiled green and eaten, it softens the bowels
but is apt to make one vomit.
2-131. OROBOS
suggested: Ervum sativum, Ervum album sativum [Fuchs]
Lathyris sativus [Bauhin, Linnaeus], Ervum sylvestre,
Lathyris sylvestris [in Sprague] — Indian Pea, Riga Pea,
Dogtooth Pea [Mabberley] causes motorneurone disease
[other usage] Orobus tuberosus — Orobe, Bitter Vetch
O robos (which the Latins call ervum ) is a little well-
known shrub with narrow thin leaves, bearing little
seeds in the husks from which a meal is made called
ervina that is fit for bodily uses. If it is eaten it annoys the
head, troubles the bowels, and brings out blood through
the urine. It fattens beasts if it is boiled and given to them.
Ervina flour is made as follows. Select the fullest and
whitest seeds, sprinkle them with water and stir them
together. When you have allowed them to absorb
enough water, dry them until their husks are quite
broken. Then grind them, sift them through a fine sieve
and put the flour in storage. It is good for the bowels,
diuretic, and causes a good colour. Taken excessively
either in meat or drink it brings out blood through the
intestines and bladder (with suffering). With honey it
cleans ulcers, freckles, sunburn, spots, and the rest of the
body. It stops ulcers of the cheeks, scleroma [hardened
nasal or laryngeal tissue patches], and gangrene. It
softens hard lumps in the breasts, and emarginates
[removes the edge of] wild boils, carbuncles [infected
252
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
253
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
Cicer arietinum
after FAGUET — 1888
i
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
boils] [malignant skin tumours] and favus [contagious
skin disease]. Kneaded with wine and applied it cures the
bites of dogs, bites of men, and of vipers; with vinegar it
lessens painful frequent urination, griping, and
ineffective straining at stool or urination. Toasted and
taken with honey (in the amount of a nut) it is good for
those whose meat does not nourish them. A decoction
applied with hot cloths cures chilblains and itchiness on
the body.
2-132. THERMOS EMEROS
suggested: Lupinus albus [Fuchs, Linnaeus], Lupinus termis
— Egyptian Lupin, Termus
T hermus which is sown is commonly known. The meal
of it taken as a linctus [syrup] with honey (or as a
drink with vinegar) expels worms; and the lupins
themselves steeped and eaten bitter does the same, as
well as a decoction of them taken as a drink with rue
[3-52, 3-53, 4-98] and pepper. This also helps the splenetic.
It is good as a warm pack for gangrene, wild ulcers, scabs
that are new, vitiligines [type of leprosy], spots, rashes
such as measles, and running ulcers on the head. The
same given in a pessary with myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] and
honey extracts the menstrual flow and is an abortifacient.
The meal cleans the skin and its bruises, and with polenta
and water it lessens inflammation. With vinegar it lessens
the pains of sciatica and swellings. Boiled in vinegar and
applied as a poultice it induces passing of scrofulous
tumours [glandular swelling, goitres] out of their place,
and breaks carbuncles [infected boils] [malignant skin
tumours] all around. Lupines (boiled with rain water
until they cream) clear the face, and boiled with the root
of black chamaeleon [3-11] they cure scabs on sheep
[veterinary] that are washed with a lukewarm decoction
of it. The root boiled with water and taken as a drink
expels urine. The lupines themselves sweetened,
pounded into small pieces and taken as a drink with
vinegar soothe a nauseous stomach and cure lack of
appetite. The Latins call it lupinus, the Egyptians, brechu.
255
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
2-133. THERMOS AGRIOS
SUGGESTED: LupinuS angustifolius — Wild Lupin
T here is a wild lupin that the Latins call lupin US
agrestis, similar to that which is sown, yet it is in
every way less effective for the same purposes than the
sown lupin.
2-134. GONGULIS
suggested: Rapum sativum, Rapum sativum album [Fuchs],
Gongulis [Latin], Brassica rapa — Rape, Common Turnip
Brassica napus — Naphew, Nape, Winter Rape, Swede
T he boiled root of gongule is nourishing yet very
windy. It breeds moist loose flesh and encourages
sexual appetite [aphrodisiac]. A decoction makes a warm
pack for gout and chilblains. Used alone, pounded into
small pieces and applied, it is good for the same things
too. If anyone makes the root hollow and melts a waxy
ointment of oil of roses in there in hot ashes, this is
effective for ulcerated chilblains. The tender tops are
eaten boiled and they encourage urine [diuretic]. The
seed is good in antidotes and treacles that stop pain.
Taken as a drink it is good against deadly medicines
[antidote] and encourages sexual activity [aphrodisiac].
Rapum pickled in brine and eaten is less nourishing, yet it
restores the appetite. It is also called gongilida, or
golgosium ; the Romans call it rapum.
2-135. GONGOLE AGRIOE
suggested: Rapum sylvestre, N apus-Bunias sylvestris [Fuchs
Plate #99], Barbarea vulgaris — Winter Cress, Yellow Rocket
Rapunculus esculentis [Bauhin ], Campanula rapunculus
[Linnaeus] — Rampion [Mabberley]
T he wild rapum grows in fields, a shrub of two feet
high, bearing many boughs, smooth on the top; [the
root] is the thickness of a finger or more. It bears seed in
husks similar to cups. When the coverings that contain
256
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
98 Napus Bnmas fatiuus*
ucfeit Qtccfrubcn.
257
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
Napus Bunias fylueftris*
0tecfruben,
258
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
the seeds are opened there is another husk within
(similar to a head) in which are little black seeds. When
these are broken they are white within. They are put into
sebaceous treatments for clearing the face and other parts
of the body, such as those made from the meal of lupins
[2-132], wheat, lolium [2-116, 4-140], or ervum [2-129,
2-131],
2-136. BO UNI AS
suggested: Napus-Bunias sativas [Fuchs Plate #98],
Brassica campestris var rapa [Linnaeus], Bar bar ea praecox
— Land Cress
[other usage] B uni as cakile, Cakilemaritima
— Common Sea Rocket
B uni as erucago, B uni as aspera, B uni as oriental is — Bunias
B uni as and its root (boiled) is wind-inducing and less
nourishing. The seed (taken in a drink beforehand)
makes poisons ineffective. It is mixed with antidotes and
the root is preserved in salt.
2-137. RAPHANIS
suggested: Raphanus sativus, Radix, Radicula [Fuchs, Brunfels,
Linnaeus] — Common Cultivated Radish
R adish also breeds wind and heats. It is welcome to
the mouth but not good for the stomach; besides, it
causes belching and is diuretic. It is good for the
intestines if one takes it after meat, helping digestion
more, but eaten beforehand it suspends the meat. Thus it
is good for those who desire to vomit to eat it before meat.
It also sharpens the senses. Boiled and taken it is good for
those who have had a cough for a long time, and who
breed thick phlegm in their chests. The skin (taken with
vinegar and honey) is stronger to make one vomit, and
good for dropsy. Applied as a poultice it is good for the
splenetic. With honey it stops gangrenous ulceration of
the cheeks, and takes away black and blue marks under
the eyes. It helps those bitten by vipers, and thickens hair
lost from alopecia. With meal of lolium [2-116, 4-140] it
takes off freckles. Eaten or taken in a drink it helps those
strangled from eating mushrooms, and drives down the
259
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
menstrual flow. Taken as a drink with vinegar the seed
causes internal ulcers, is diuretic, and reduces the spleen.
Boiled with warm vinegar and honey it serves as a gargle
to help tonsillitis. Taken as a drink with wine it helps bites
from a horned viper; and smeared on with vinegar it
emarginates [removes the edge of] gangrene powerfully.
It is also called polyides eryngium, the Latins call it radix
nostratis, and the Africans call it thorpath.
2-138. RAPHANOS AGRIA
suggested: Raphanis sylvestris, Armoracia [Fuchs],
Raphanus rusticanus [Bauhin], Cochlearia armoracia [Linnaeus],
Nasturtium armoracia , Roripa armoracia, R adieu la armoracia
A rmoracia rusticana — Common Horseradish
T he wild radish (which the Romans call armoracia) has
leaves similar to that which is sown, or rather more
similar to those of lampsana. The root is slender, soft, and
somewhat sharp; both the leaves and root are boiled
instead of vegetables. It is warming, diuretic and
burning.
2-139. SISARON
suggested: Pastinaca sativa [Linnaeus]
Sisarum sativum magnum, Sisarum sativum minus [Fuchs],
Pastinaca sativa lad folia, Sisarum German orum [Bauhin],
Siser, Sisarum, Sium sisarum [Linnaeus, Bedevian],
Pastinaca sylvestris lad folia, Pastinaca sativa [in Sprague]
— Skirret, Water Parsnip
S iser is commonly known. The root (eaten boiled) is
pleasing to the taste and effective for the stomach. It is
diuretic and stirs up the appetite.
260
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Brafsicae primum genus* 233
23 :eyter %&l.
261
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
Brafsioe fecundum genus,
Sraufcr % JL
262
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-140. LAPATHON
suggested: 0 xylapathum, Lapatium acutum [Fuchs],
Rumex obtusifolius [Linnaeus], Lapathum aquaticum
— Water Sorrel, Water Dock
Oxalis, A cetosa [Fuchs], A cetosa pratensis [Bauhin],
Rumex ac&osa [Linnaeus] — Dock, Sorrel [Mabberley]
L apathum (one sort of it is called oxylapathum) grows in
marshy places. It is hard and somewhat pointed
towards the top, but that in the garden is not similar to
the other. There is a third kind that is wild, small, similar
to plantain, soft, low. There is also a fourth kind called
oxalis, anaxuris, or lapathum, whose leaves are similar to
the wild small lapathum ; the stalk is not great; the seed is
pointed, red, and sharp on the stalk and the branches.
The herbs of all of these (boiled) soothe the intestines.
Applied raw as a poultice with rosaceum [1-53] or saffron it
dissolves the me/icerides [encysted tumour with
exudation like honey]. The seed of the wild lapathum,
oxylapathum and oxalis is effective (taken in a drink of
water or wine) for dysentery, abdominal afflictions, a
scorpion strike, and a nauseous stomach. If anyone
drinks it beforehand he shall have no hurt when struck
(by a scorpion). The roots of these boiled with vinegar (or
used raw and applied as a poultice) cures leprosy,
impetigo [skin infection] and rough nails, but you must
first thoroughly rub the place in the sun with nitre
[potassium nitrate — saltpetre] or vinegar. A decoction of
sorrel applied with hot cloths or mixed with a bath
relieves itchiness. It lessens earache and toothache used
as a rinse with liquid from sorrel boiled in wine. Boiled in
wine and applied, they dissolve scrofulous tumours
[glandular swelling], goitres, and swollen parotid glands.
A decoction boiled in vinegar lessens the spleen. Some
use the roots as an amulet (hanging them around the
neck) for goitre. Pounded into small pieces and applied,
they also stop women's flows. Boiled with wine and
taken as a drink they help jaundice, break stones in the
bladder, draw out the menstrual flow, and help those
touched by scorpions.
263
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
2-141. HIPPOLAPATHON
suggested: Rumicis secundum genus,
Rhabarabum monarchorum [Fuchs], H ippolapathum iati folium
[Bauhin], R umex alpinus [Linnaeus], R umex hydrolapathum
— Water Dock, Horse Sorrel
H ippolapathum is a great olus [one that is well known]
growing in marshes. It has the same properties as
those mentioned above.
2-142. LAMPSANE
suggested: Lampsana communis, Lapsana communis
— Common Nipplewort
L ampsana is a wild olus [one that is well known], more
nourishing and more agreeable to the stomach than
lapathum, whose stalks and leaves are eaten boiled
[vegetable]. The Latins call it napium [wood nymph], and
the Egyptians, euthmoe.
2-143. BLITON
suggested: Blitum [Fuchs], Bliti genus,
Chenopodium polyspermum [Linnaeus], A maranthus blitum,
A Ibersia blitum — Blite, Wild Amaranth
[other usage] Blitum virgatum — Strawberry Spinach
B litum is also eaten as a vegetable, having no use
medicinally. The Egyptians call it eclotoripam, others,
rip! am, the Latins, blitum, and the Dacians, bles.
264
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Sifarum fatfuum magnum, 43
©jog j*m VTCo:m.
&>& srA wm*
/.Vo?' ! V; s
l'C\ viA'/S Vf \ Vv s
■' ro 1 v / i V5 / \ ' ^ /
HI J|K5fh
265
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
RumiVis tcrthnn genus*
<B utcr Scinvid).
ZCl
266
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-144. MALACHE AGRIA, MALACHE
KEPAIA
suggested: M alva hortensis, M alva sylvestris pumila [Fuchs],
A Icea rosea, M alva rotundi folia, M alva sylvestris [Linnaeus],
Althea rosea [in Sprague] — Common Mallow
[other usage] M alache [Bedevian] — Wild Ochra
H ibiscus esculentis, A belmoschus esculentis
— Okra, Gombo, Gobbo
M ai ache that is sown is more fit to be eaten than the
wild. It is bad for the stomach and good for the
bowels, especially the stalks, which are effective for the
intestines and bladder. The raw leaves (chewed with a
little salt and rubbed on with honey) are able to cure an
ulcer in the inner angle of the eye, but when it must be
brought to a scar then it must be used with salt. Rubbed
on it is effective for bee and wasp stings, and if a man is
rubbed with it beforehand (raw, pounded finely with oil)
he remains unstrikable. Applied with urine it cures
running sores on the head and dandruff. The boiled
leaves pounded into small pieces and applied with oil
help burns and erysipela [streptococcal skin infection], A
decoction of it is a softening bath for the womb, and is fit
in suppositories for pangs of hunger in the intestines, for
the womb, and for the perineum. The broth boiled
together with the roots helps all poisonings, but those
who drink it must continuously vomit it up. It is good for
those bitten by harvest spiders, and it brings out milk.
The seed of the wild lotus is mixed with it and taken as a
drink with wine to lessen disorders of the bladder. The
Latins call it hortensis [of the garden], Pythagoras calls it
anthema, Zoroastrians, diadesma, the Egyptians, chocorten,
the Magi, caprae lien, and others, muris cauda.
2-145. ATRAPHAXIS
SUGGESTED: A triplex hortensis [Fuchs, Linnaeus],
A triplex hortensis alba [Bauhin], Chenopodium album [Linnaeus]
— Goosefoot, Fat Hen
[other usage] A traphaxis spinosa — Prickly Atraphaxis
A traphaxis [atra — black, phaxis — hair] is a well-
known vegetable of two types — one wild, the other
267
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
sown in gardens. The latter is eaten boiled as a vegetable.
Smeared on either raw or boiled it dissolves
inflammation in bones. The seed (taken in a drink with
honey and water) cures jaundice. It is also called
chrysolachanon, the Latins call it atriplex, and the
Egyptians, ochi.
2-146. KRAMBE EMEROS
suggested: Brassica tertium genus, Crambe [Fuchs] — Kale
Gossularia simplici acino, Spinosa sylvestris [Bauhin],
Brassica napus [Linnaeus] — Rape
C rambe that is sown or set is good for the bowels. It is
eaten slightly boiled, for when thoroughly boiled it
is therapeutic for the intestines, and more so that which is
twice boiled or boiled in lye. Summer crambe is worthless
for the stomach and sharper, and that which grows in
Egypt is inedible in its bitterness. Eaten, it helps the dull-
sighted and those troubled with trembling. Taken after
meat it extinguishes the maladies that come from
gluttony and wine [hangovers]. The young tendrils are
better for the stomach yet sharper and more diuretic.
Preserved in salt it is bad for the stomach and troubles the
intestines. The juice (taken raw and swallowed with iris
and saltpetre [potassium nitrate]) softens the intestines.
Taken in a drink with wine it helps those bitten by a
viper. With the meal of fenugreek and vinegar it helps
those with gout in their feet and joints, and applied it is
good for foul or old ulcers. Poured into the nostrils by
itself it purges the head. Taken as a pessary with meal of
lolium [2-116, 4-140] it expels the menstrual flow. The
leaves pounded into small pieces and applied (either
alone or with polenta) are good for any inflammation and
oedema. They also heal erysipela [streptococcal skin
infection], epinyctides [pustules which appear at night]
and psoriasis. With salt they break carbuncles [infected
boils] [malignant skin tumours] all around. They stop
hair from falling out of the head. Boiled and mixed with
honey they are good against erosive gangrenes. Eaten
raw with vinegar they are good for the splenetic. Chewed
and the juice swallowed down they restore the loss of the
voice. A decoction (taken as a drink) induces movement
of the bowels and the menstrual flow. The flower applied
268
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Oxalis*
@atx>: 2!mpjfer*
16 }
269
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
11
Plantago media*
25zeyter tPccjnc^.
Plantago media
from FUCHS — 1545
270
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
in a pessary after childbirth hinders conception. The
seed, especially of cabbage that grows in Egypt, (taken as
a drink) expels worms. It is put into antidotes for the bites
of poisonous snakes.
It clears the skin on the face and cleans away freckles.
The green stalks burnt together with the roots are mixed
with old swines' grease and applied to lessen long-lasting
pains in the side. It is also called crambe cepaea, i.e. garden
brassi ca, while the Latins call it brassica.
2-147. KRAMBE AGRIA
SUGGESTED: Brassica oleracea — Wild Kale [Mabberley]
W ild crambe (which the Latins call brassica rustica)
grows most commonly in steep coastal places. It is
similar to that which is sown but is whiter, rougher and
bitter. The young tendrils boiled in lye are not unsavoury
in the mouth. The leaves applied as a poultice are able to
seal wounds, and dissolve oedema and inflammation.
2-148. KRAMBE THALASSIA
suggested: Crambe maritima — Sea Kale, Sea Cabbage
T hat which is called sea crambe is altogether different
from the cultivated, with many thin leaves similar to
the round aristolochia. Every one of them springs from
reddish branches out of one stalk (similar to cissus). It has
white juice but not in any great abundance. It is salty to
the taste and somewhat bitter with a fatty substance. The
whole herb is an enemy to the stomach, sharp, and eaten
boiled excessively loosening to the bowels. Some
(because of its sharpness) boil it together with fat from
rams.
Brassica oleracea
after FAGUET — 1888
271
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
2-149. TEUTLON MELAN AGRION
suggested: Beta Candida [Fuchs], Beta alba,
Cicla officinarum [Bauhin], Beta vulgaris — White Beet,
Swiss Chard
Beta nigra [Fuchs], Beta rubra vulgaris [Bauhin] — Beetroot
T here are two types of great teutlon. The black are
more astringent for the stomach boiled with lens
[lentils] (especially the root), but the white are good for
the intestines. They both have bad juice because of the
saltpetre [potassium nitrate] in them. As a result, the juice
put into the nostrils with honey purges the head and
helps earache. A decoction of the roots and leaves applied
with hot cloths cleanses dandruff and the tendes [loins
(digestive or procreative) and buttocks], and soothes
chilblains. You must rub vitiligines [form of leprosy] and
erosive ulcers with the raw leaves and nitre [saltpetre], as
well as the the scalp for loss of hair on the head but first
shave it. Boiled, they heal rashes such as measles, as well
as burns and erysipela [streptococcal skin infection]. The
Latins call it beta silvatica.
2-150. ANDRACHNE
suggested: Portulaca hortensis [Fuchs], Portulaca latifolia,
Portulaca sativa [Bauhin], Portulaca oleracea [Linnaeus],
Peplo [Italian], Portulaca oleracea var sativa
— Garden Purslane
[other usage] Andrachnetelephoides — False Orpine
A rbutus andrachne — Greek Strawberry Tree
A , ndrachne is astringent. Applied with polenta it helps
headaches, inflammation of the eyes, other
(inflammations), burning of the stomach, erysipela
[streptococcal skin infection], and disorders of the
bladder. Eaten, it lessens numbness of the teeth, burning
of the stomach and intestines and their excessive
discharges, helps eroded kidneys and the bladder, and
dissolves the hot desire to sexual union [anaphrodisiac].
Taken as a drink the juice has similar effects, and is good
in burning fevers. Boiled very well (it is good) for worms
[roundworms in the intestines], the spitting of blood.
272
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Plantago minor, 23
©p itjiger OPegridJ.
273
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
Portulaca oleracea
after FAGUET — 1888
274
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
dysentery, haemorrhoids, as well as eruptions of blood,
and bites of the seps [poisonous lizard]. It is effective
mixed with eye medicines, and is a suppository for
bowels troubled with excessive discharges, or for a
damaged vulva. It provides irrigation [supply of
moisture] with rosaceum [1-53] or oil for headaches that
come from heat. With wine it is a cleansing ointment for
pustules of the head, and is applied with polenta to
wounds growing into gangrene.
2-151. ANDRACHNE AGRIA
suggested: Portulaca sylvestris [Fuchs, Bauhin],
Portulaca angusti folia [Bauhin],
Portulaca oleracea var sylvestris [Linnaeus]
— Yellow Portulaca
A ndrachne sylvestris has broader and thicker little
leaves than the andrachne above. It grows in rocky
places (sometimes also in gardens). It has leaves similar to
those of the olive tree but much smaller yet more
abundant and tender. There are many red stalks
emerging from one root, leaning earthward. Chewed
they are found to have good juice — sticky, and
somewhat salty. It is warming, sharp, and ulcerating, and
applied with goose grease it dissolves scrofulous tumours
[glandular swelling, goitres].
It is also called aizoon agrion i.e. sempervivum sylvestre,
or telephium, the Latins (call it) illecebra, some, portulaca,
the Africans, maemoem, the Dacians, lax, and the
Egyptians, mochmutim.
2-152. ASPHARAGOS
suggested: A sparagus altilis [Brunfels],
A sparagus sativa [Bauhin], A sparagus acutifolius,
Asparagus corruda, Asparagus officinal is var altilis [Linnaeus]
— Asparagus, Sparrow Grass
A spharagus is also called myon. It grows in rocky
places, a well-known herb, the small stalks of which,
boiled and eaten, soothe the intestines and encourage
urine [diuretic]. A decoction of the roots (taken as a drink)
helps frequent and painful urination, jaundice, kidney
Asparagus
after FAGUET — 1888
275
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
Plantago lanceolata
after FAGUET — 1888
ailments and hip problems, as well as those bitten by
harvest spiders. Boiled in wine it helps those troubled
with toothache (a decoction being kept on the pained
tooth). The seed (taken in a drink) is good to obtain the
same results. They say that if dogs drink a decoction they
will die. Some have related that if one pounds ram's
horns in pieces and buries them, asparagus comes up,
which is incredible to me.
Asparagus is a plant with many branches and many
long leaves similar to marathrum [3-81], with a great
round root that has a knob. The stalks pounded into small
pieces with white wine lessen disorders of the kidneys.
Taken either boiled or roasted it soothes slow painful
urination and dysentery. The root boiled either in wine
or vinegar lessens dislocations. Boiled with figs and
chickpeas and eaten it cures jaundice, and lessens hip
pains and painful urination. Displayed [like an amulet]
(and a decoction taken as a drink) it makes one barren
and not fit for generation [birth control].
2-153. ARNOGLOSSON,
ARNOGLOSSON MIKRON
SUGGESTED: Plantago major [Fuchs, Brunfels, Linnaeus],
Arnoglossa, Septinervia, Plantago lati folia sinuata [Bauhin]
— Waybread, Greater Plantain
Plantago minor [Fuchs], Plantago media [Brunfels, Linnaeus]
Plantago angustifolia major [Bauhin] — Hoary Plantain
T wo kinds of arnoglossa are found — one lesser, the
other larger. The smaller sort has narrower leaves,
smaller, softer, smoother and thinner; with an angular
stalk, bending down (as it were) on the ground. The
flowers are pale, with the seed on the top of the stalks.
The bigger kind is more flourishing, broad-leaved, a sort
of an olus [one that is well known]. The stalk is angular,
somewhat red, a foot in height, closed around from the
middle to the top with thin seed. The roots underneath
are tender, rough, white, a finger thick. It grows in
marshes, hedges and moist places. The larger is better for
use. The leaves are drying and astringent. Therefore
rubbed on they work against all malignancies, and
leprous, running, filthy ulcers. They also stop excessive
276
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
277
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
Atriplex hortenfis +
iTMteir,
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
discharges of blood, gangrenous ulceration, carbuncles
[malignant tumours], shingles [herpes] and epinyctis
[pustules which appear only at night]. They form a skin
over old irregular ulcers, and heal chironian [cheiralgia —
pain in the hand or cuts from a surgeon] and hollow
creeks caused by it. They are good applied with salt for
dog bites, burns, inflammation, and parotitis [inflamed
glands, mumps], as well as the inflammation of bones,
scrofulous tumours [glandular swelling, goitres], and
ulcers of the eyes. The herb (boiled and taken with water
and salt) helps dysentery and abdominal distress. It is
also given boiled with lentils instead of beets. The herb is
also given (boiled) for the dropsy called leucoplegmatia [a
tendency to dropsy] caused by eating dry meats,
however it must be taken while eating the meats. It is also
good given to the epileptic and the asthmatic. The juice of
the leaves cleans ulcers in the mouth, washed every now
and then with it. With cimolia [like fuller's earth] or
cerussa [white lead ore] it heals skin inflammation, and
helps fistulas [ulcers] poured into them. The juice being
dropped in the ears or mixed in eye salves helps earache
and sores on the eyes, and it is good (taken as a drink) for
bleeding gums and for those who vomit blood. It is good
for dysentery given as an enema or suppository. It is
taken as a drink against consumption. It is used as a
pessary in wool for constriction of the womb and for a
womb troubled with excessive discharges. The seeds
(taken as a drink in wine) stop discharges of the bowels
and the spitting of blood. The root is boiled and the
mouth is washed with this decoction (or the root is
chewed) to lessen toothache. The root and the leaves are
given in passu m [raisin wine] for ulcers in the bladder and
kidneys, but some say that three roots (taken as a drink
with three cupfuls of wine and as much water) help a
fever with recurrent paroxysms, and that four roots
(help) a quartain [with paroxysms every fourth day]
fever.
Some also use the root as an amulet for scrofulous
tumours [glandular swelling goitres] to dissolve them.
(The Syrians say that a broth of this and calamint with
honey will cure the paralysed, given on the second and
fourth day until the parascive, (that is the Friday), but
take this as a secret for it is most true and according to
experience).
279
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
It is also called dr n ion (as we should say of a lamb),
probation (as we should say of a sheep), cynoglosson, (that
is dog's tongue), heptapleuron, polynervon (that is having
many tendons). The Magi call it erechneumonis, the
Egyptians, aschat, the Latins, plantago minor, the Gauls
tarbidolopion, the Spaniards, thesarican, and the Africans,
atiercon.
2-154. SION TO EN ODASIN
suggested: Sium, Anagallis-aquatica [Fuchs],
A nagallis aquatica minor [Bauhin], Veronica beccabunga
[Linnaeus] — Brooklime [Mabberley]
[other usage] Sium I ati folium — Water Parsley, Water Parsnip
Sium falcaria, Sium siculum — Water Parsnip species
S ium aquaticum is a little shrub which is found in the
water — upright, fat, with broad leaves similar to
hipposelinum [3-78], yet somewhat smaller and aromatic
— which is eaten (either boiled or raw) to break stones
[kidney, bladder] and discharge them. Eaten they also
induce the movement of urine, are abortifacient, expel
the menstrual flow, and are good for dysentery.
(Crateuas speaks of it thus: it is a herb like a shrub, little,
with round leaves, bigger than black mint, similar to
eruca [2-170]). It is also called anagallis aquatica, schoenos
aromatica, as well as a sort of juncus odoratus, darenion, or
laver.
2-155. SISUMBRION
suggested: Sisymbrium [Fuchs], M entha aquatica [Fuchs,
Linnaeus] — Water Mint [Mabberley]
[other usage] Sisymbrium officinale, Erysimum officinale
— Hedge Mustard
Sisymbrium alii aria, A Hi aria officinalis — Sauce-alone,
Garlic Wort
S isymbrium grows in untilled ground. It is similar to
garden mint, yet broader-leaved and with a sweeter
scent, and is used in wreaths for the head. It is warming.
The seed (taken in a drink with wine) is good for slow
painful urination and urinary stones, and relieves
280
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Si) alteram genus/eu Anagal' 4 il
lis aquatica*
SPafler puritfert.
281
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
Sffymbriurru
282
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
griping and the hiccups. The leaves are laid on the
temples and the forehead for headaches. They are also
good for the stings of wasps and bees. Taken as a drink it
stops vomiting. It is also called serpillum sylvestre, or
veneris corona ; the Latins call it austeralis, and others, herba
venerea.
2-156. SISUMBRION ETERON
suggested: Sisymbrium cardamine, Nasturtium aquaticum
[Fuchs], Nasturtium aquaticum supinum [Bauhin],
Sisymbrium nasturtium, Sisymbrium aquaticum,
N asturtium officinale [Brunfels],
R adieu I a nasturtium-aquaticum, Roripa nasturtium- aquaticum
— Water Cress, Water Grass
see 2-170
T he other sisymbrium is a watery herb growing in the
same places as si on [2-154], It is also called cardamine
because it resembles nasturtium [2-185] in the taste. It has
round leaves at first but when grown they are divided
like those oieruca [2-170]. It is warming and diuretic and
is eaten raw. It takes away freckles and sunburn, applied
at night and wiped away in the morning. Some call it
cardamine [meadow cress], and some, si on.
2-157. KRITHMON
suggested: Crithmum maritimum, Cachrys maritimum
— Samphire, Sea Fennel, Peter's Cress
rithmon (also called critamon ) is a shrubby little herb
about a foot in height, with thick leaves, which
grows in rocky maritime places. It is full of fat whitish
leaves similar to those of purslane — yet thicker and
longer and salty to the taste. It bears white flowers and a
soft fruit similar to iibanotis — sweet smelling, round.
When dry it splits and has a seed within similar to wheat.
The roots are the thickness of a finger, fragrant, and with
a pleasant taste. The seed, root and leaves (boiled in wine
and taken as a drink) are effective to help frequent
painful urination and jaundice, and they induce the
menstrual flow. It is used as a vegetable (eaten either
boiled or raw), and is also preserved in brine.
283
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
2-158. KORONOPOUS
suggested: Coronopus, Cornu cervium [Fuchs],
Coronopus hortensis [Bauhin], Plantago coronopis var [3
[Linnaeus], Coronopus, Cornus cervicum, Herba Stella
— Buckshom Plantain, Star of the Earth
C oronopus is a little herb that is somewhat long, with
indented leaves, spread on the ground. It is eaten
(boiled) as a vegetable. It has a thin astringent root that is
eaten for coeliac [intestinal complaints]. It grows in
un tilled places, on hillocks and by highways. It is also
called ammonos, or astrion, the Africans call it atirsipte, the
Latins caciatrix , some, stilago, or sanguinaria.
2-159. SONCHOS
AKANTHODESTEROS, SONCHOS
TRACHOS, SONCHOS TRUPHEROS
suggested: Sonchus aspera [Fuchs], Sonchus asper laciniatus,
Sonchus asper non laciniatus [Bauhin],
Sonchus oleraceus var asper [Linnaeus] — Common Sowthistle
Sonchus non-aspera [Fuchs], Sonchus laevis laciniatus latifolius
[Bauhin], Sonchus oleraceus var laevis [Linnaeus]
— Sowthistle, Milkthistle [Mabberley]
T here are two kinds of sonchus — one more wild and
prickly, the other more tender and edible. The stalk is
angular and somewhat red within with ragged leaves at a
distance all around. They are cooling and moderately
astringent; as a result they are applied for a burning
stomach and inflammation. The juice is sipped to lessen
pangs of hunger in the stomach. It draws down mil k and
is applied on wool to help inflammation of the perineum
and womb. The herb and root are applied to help those
touched by a scorpion. There is also another kind of
sonchus that is also tender, grows like a tree, and is broad
leaved, but the leaves divide the stalk. This is effective for
the same purposes. It is also called asperum, or cichorium,
the Romans call it cicerbita, and the Africans, gathuonem.
284
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Sonchus afpera*
©eng 0i(M*
*
^X\K- tj~ Z^7v'. N . i ,
7,'Jk v */ ^!:'{j'^- 1 'j .
Sonchus aspera
from FUCHS — 1545
285
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
Sonchus non afpcra. 7
^afcnPM.
286
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-160. SERIS
suggested: Intybum saticvum latifolium [Fuchs, Bauhin],
Endiva vulgaris [Bauhin], Cichorium endivia [Linnaeus]
Intybum sativum angustifolium, Scariol [Fuchs] — Endive
Intybum sylvestre, Intubus erraticus, Cichorea [Fuchs],
Cichorium sylvestre, Cichorium officinarum [Bauhin]
Cichorium intybus [Linnaeus] — Wild Chicory, Succory
S en's has two types — wild and cultivated, of which the
wild is called pickris or ci chorum, but the other kind,
that of the garden, is broader-leaved and more pleasant
in the mouth. Of the two kinds, one is more similar to
lettuce and is broad leaved; the other is narrow-leaved
and bitter. Both are astringent, cooling and good for the
stomach. Boiled and taken with vinegar they stop
discharges of the bowels, and the wild (especially) are
best for the stomach, for when eaten they comfort a
disturbed and burning stomach. Applied with polenta
(or by themselves) they are good for heart conditions.
They help gout and inflammation of the eyes. The herb
and root are rubbed on to help those who are touched by
a scorpion, and with polenta they heal erysipela
[streptococcal skin infection]. The juice from them with
cerussa [white lead ore] and vinegar is good rubbed on
those who need cooling. It is also called pier is, the
Egyptians call it agon, and the Romans, intybus agrestis.
Cichorium intybus
after FAGUET — 1880
2-161. KONDRILLE, KONDRILLE ETERA
suggested: H edypnois, D ens leonis, T araxacon [Fuchs],
H edypnois maior [Brunfels], Leontodon taraxacum [Linnaeus],
T araxacum officinale — Dandelion
[other usage] Chondrilla juncea, Chondrilla graminea
— Chondrilla, Chondrille, Gum Succory, Wild Succory
C ondrilla (also called cichorium or sen's), has leaves, a
stalk and flowers similar to chicory, as a result some
have said that it is a kind of wild ser/'s, but it is altogether
much smaller. Around the stems a gum is found (about
the size of a bean) that is similar to mastic [1-51]. Pounded
into small pieces with myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] and an
amount the size of an olive applied in a linen cloth, it
287
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
dries out the menstrual flow. The herb pounded together
with the root and mixed with honey is formed into
lozenges, which are diluted and mixed with saltpetre
[potassium nitrate] to take away sunburn. The gum
preserves the hair. The root (taken whilst it is new) is
good for the same purposes — a needle being dipped
[into the juice of] it and applied to the hair. Taken as a
drink with wine it is also good against vipers; and the
juice boiled with wine and taken as a drink (or else taken
alone) stops discharges of the bowels. There is also
another kind of condrilla with a gnawed-around leaf,
somewhat long, scattered on the ground, the stalk full of
juice; and a slender root — lively, smooth, round, a pale
yellow, full of juice. The stalk and the leaves are digestive,
and the juice is good for retaining the hair on the eyelids.
It grows in fertile and cultivated fields.
2-162. KOLOKUNTHA
suggested: Citrullus colocynthis, Cucumis colocynthis
— Colocynth, Bitter Apple, Bitter Gourd
see 4-178
T he edible colocynth (bruised and applied raw) lessens
oedema and the suppuration of ulcers. Scrapings of it
are effective applied to the upper part of the heads of
children troubled with heat of the head called siriasis
[sunstroke]; and it is similarly used for inflammations of
the eyes and gout. Juice from bruised scrapings is
dropped in the ears either by itself or with rosaceum [1-53]
to help earache. Rubbed on, it is good for the appearance
of burns from heat. The herb boiled whole and the juice
of it strained out and taken as a drink with a little honey
and nitre [saltpetre] gently loosens the bowels. If you
hollow it (raw), put wine in there, set it out in the open
air, then afterwards dilute it and drink it fasting, it gently
soothes the bowels.
288
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Intybum fatiuum anguftifoliu, j8p
0c«xnol.
289
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
388 Intybum fatruum Iatifolfum*
©fe r ttft £nbimert.
290
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-163. SIKUOS EMEROS
suggested: Cucumis sativus vulgaris [Fuchs, Bauhin],
Cucurbita maior, Cucurbita oblonga [Fuchs],
Cucurbita lagenaria [Linnaeus], Lagenaria vulgaris,
Sicyos [Latin], Cucumis sativa — Cucumber
T he cultivated cucumer is good for the intestines and
the stomach, cooling (if it is not spoiled), effective for
the bladder. It is smelled to revive those in a swoon, and
the seed is mildly diuretic. With milk or passu m [raisin
wine] it is good for ulcers of the bladder. The leaves are
applied with wine to heal the bites of dogs; with honey
they heal pustules that appear at night.
2-164. PEPON
suggested: Pepo, Cucumis pepo [Fuchs],
M do vulgaris [Bauhin], Cucumis mdo [Linnaeus], Cantalupo,
Popone [Italian], C ucumis dudaim var aegypticus
— Sweet Melon, Dudaim Melon
[other usage] Cucurbita pepo — Pumpkin
M dopopone [Italian], Cucurbita pepo var mdopepo — Squash
T he pulp of pepon is diuretic if eaten, but applied it
alleviates inflammation of the eyes. The scrapings
are laid on top of the heads of children troubled with
siriasis [sunstroke]; and it is laid as an anacollema [against
that which is glued together] to the forehead for
rheumatic eyes. The juice together with the seed, mixed
with meal and dried in the sun, is a scourer to purge away
filth and make the skin on the face clear. A teaspoon of
the dry root (taken as a drink with honey water) causes
vomiting. If anyone wants to vomit gently after supper
two times ten grains will be sufficient for this. It also heals
favus [contagious skin disease] rubbed on with honey.
291
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
L actuca virosa [seed head]
after FAGUET — 1880
2-165. THRIDAX EMEROS
suggested: L actuca sativa crispa et rotunda [Fuchs],
Lactuca crispa [Bauhin], Lactuca sativa [Linnaeus],
Lactuca scariola var sativa — Common Lettuce
L actuca (the garden lettuce) is good for the stomach, a
little cooling, causes sleep, softens the bowels and
draws down milk. Boiled, it is more nourishing. Eaten
unwashed it is good for the stomach. The seeds (taken in
a drink) help those who dream continuously, and turn
away sexual intercourse [anaphrodisiac]. Eaten too often
they cause of dullness of sight. They are also preserved in
brine. When they shoot up into a stalk they have
properties similar to the juice and mi lk of the wild lettuce.
The Romans call it lactuca, and the Egyptians, embrosi.
2-166. THRIDAX AGRIA
suggested: Lactuca sytvestris [Fuchs],
Lactuca scariola [Linnaeus], Thridax [Latin], Lactuca virosa
— Wild Lettuce
W ild lettuce is similar to the cultivated only larger-
stalked, paler in the leaves, thinner and sharper,
and bitter to the taste. It is somewhat similar to poppy in
properties, as a result some mix the milky juice of it with
meconium [4-65]. Twenty grains of the juice (taken in a
drink with posca [hot drinks]) purges away watery matter
through the bowels. It also wears off albugo [eye disease],
and mistiness and dimness of the eyes, and it is good
against their burning heat rubbed on with woman's milk.
In general it is sleep-inducing and eases pain. It draws
out the menstrual flow, and is given as a drink for those
touched by a scorpion or harvest spider. The seed of this
(as well as the cultivated, taken in a drink) turns away
lustful dreams and venereal diseases. The juice is also
good for the same purposes yet weaker. The milky juice
of it is first exposed to the sun (like other extracted juices)
and stored in new ceramic jars. The Magi call it sanguis
Titani, Zoroastrians, pherumbras, and the Romans, lactuca
sylvestris.
292
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
y> O Intybum fylueftre cremleumj
fiueCichorium*
23(aw fDetfteark
293
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
HedysiWs imtot\ ^
(5:o£ Z\6:lt'tvUiu
294
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-167. GINGIDION
suggested: Gingidium, Chaerefolium [Fuchs]
Chaerophyllum sativum [Bauhin], Scandix cerefolium [Linnaeus],
Anthriscus cerefolium — Chervil [Mabberley]
G ingidium grows plentifully in Cilicia and Syria — a
little herb similar to wild pastinaca yet thinner, and
with a thicker little root, white and bitter. It is used as a
vegetable, eaten both raw and boiled. Pickled, it is good
for the stomach and diuretic. A decoction (taken as a
drink with wine) is good for the bladder. The Romans call
it bisacutum, the Egyptians, dorysastrum, the Syrians,
adorion, the Africans, tiricta, and it is also called lepidium.
2-168. SKANDUX
suggested: Anthriscus sylvestris, Scandix [Pliny]
— Wild Chervil, Cow Parsley, Cow Weed
S candix is a wild vegetable — somewhat sharp and
bitter, edible whether eaten raw or boiled, good for
the intestines and the stomach. A decoction (taken as a
drink) is good for the bladder, kidneys, and liver. The
Romans call it herba scan aria, and some, acicula.
2-169. KAUKALIS
suggested: Caucalis grandiflora, Caucaiis pumila,
Caucalis platycarpus — Caucalis, Hedge Parsley, Bur Parsley
aucalis (also called wild daucus ) has a little stalk a foot
^^in length or more, with leaves similar to marathrum
[3-81], very divided and rough, and on the top of it a
white tuft with a fragrant scent. This is also used as a
vegetable (eaten either raw or boiled), and is diuretic.
It is also called caucum, or myitis, Democritus calls it
bryon, the Romans, pes gallinaceum, some call it pes pulli,
and the Egyptians call it seselis.
295
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
2-170. EUZOMON
suggested: Eyzumum, Eruca [Pliny], Eruca sativa [Fuchs],
Sisymbrium tenuifoiium [Linnaeus] — Hedge Mustard
D iplotaxis tenuifolia [in Sprague] — Rocket
Eruca sylvestris, Sinapi primum [Fuchs] — Hedge Mustard
— Sinapi, E ruca [Bauhin], N asturtium sylvestre [Brunfels],
R orippa sylvestre [in Sprague] — Watercress see 2-156
[other usage] E ruca vesicaria ssp sativa — Rocket Salad
Eruca erucacastrum, Erucacastrum obtusangulum,
Brassica erucacastrum — Bastard Rocket, Wild Rocket
E aten raw in any great amount this encourages the
pursuit of sexual pleasure [aphrodisiac], and the seed
has a similar effect — also being diuretic, digestive and
good for the bowels. They use the seed in making sauces
so that it may last longer. They steep it first in vinegar or
milk, make it into lozenges, and afterwards place it in
storage. Wild ezymum grows as well especially in Iberia
towards the west, the seed of which the men there use
instead of mustard. It is more diuretic and far sharper
than the cultivated. The Romans call it eruca, the
Egyptians, ethrekicen, and the Africans, asuric.
2-171. OKIMON
suggested: Ocimum exiguum, 0 cimum minutum,
Ocimum mediocre, Ocimum magnum [Fuchs]
Ocimum basilicum, Basiiicum — Basil, Sweet Basil
O cimum is commonly known. Eaten much it dulls the
eyesight and softens the bowels, moves flatulence,
is uretic, and helps the flow of milk. It is hard to digest.
Applied with flour of polenta, rosaceum [1-53] and vinegar
it helps inflammation, and the strikes of poisonous fishes
and scorpions. Used alone with Chian [from Scios in the
Aegean sea] wine (it is good) for sores of the eyes. The
juice takes away dimness in the eyes, and dries up excess
fluids in them. Taken in a drink the seed is good for those
who breed depression, for frequent painful urination,
and flatulence. It causes considerable sneezing when
smelled, and the herb does the same. The eyes must be
shut whil s t the sneezing lasts. Some avoid it and do not
296
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Gingidfum. uj
297
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
Erucafariua*
^mcr xcciflfec ©ettff.
298
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
eat it, because when it is chewed and set in the sun it
breeds little worms. The Africans have used it because
those who eat it and are touched by a scorpion remain
without pain.
2-172. OROBANKE
suggested: 0 robanche major — Greater Broomrape
0 robanche minor, 0 robanche barbata — Lesser Broomrape
0 robanche ramosa — Branched Broomrape
ALL SLIGHTLY POISONOUS
O robanche (commonly called lycos — as we should
say, a wolf) has a little stalk, somewhat red (as it
were) two feet [high] and sometimes bigger, fattish in the
leaves, rough, tender, endowed with whitish flowers, or
somewhat inclining to yellow. The root lies underneath,
the thickness of a finger, eaten through with holes when
the stalk dries. It seems that when it grows among pulse
[legumes] it chokes them, from which it has its name. It is
used as a vegetable (either raw or boiled) eaten from a
platter like asparagus. Boiled together with legumes it is
thought to make them boil sooner. It is also called
cynomorion, or ieonem, and the Cyprians call it thyrsi ne.
2-173. TRAGOPOGON
suggested: Tragopogon crocifolius — Wild Salsify
mfh
m
r
0 robanche ramosa
after FAGUET — 1888
Tragopogon porrifolius, Tragopogon pratensis— Salsify,
Vegetable Oyster, Oyster Plant, Goat's Beard
T ragopogon or tetrapogon (also called come) has a short
stalk and leaves similar to saffron. The root is long
and sweet. It has a big cup on the stalk and black fruit in
the top, from which it took its name. It is an edible herb.
299
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
2-174. ORNITHOGALON
suggested: Ornithogalum umbel latum, Scilla campestris,
Bulbus leucanthemus — Eleven o' Clock Lady,
Star of Bethlehem
O rnithogalon has a tender stalk — thin, whitish, about
two feet high — with three or four tender slips
growing together on the top from which come the
flowers, which outwardly seem the colour of herbs but
opened they are similar to milk. Between them is a little
head (cut-in like cachrys [3-88]) that is baked together
with bread (like melanthium [3-93]). The root is bulbose
and is eaten both raw and boiled [vegetable].
2-175. HUDNON
suggested: T uber album, R hizopogon album,
C hoiromyces meandriformis — White Truffle, False Truffle
T uber is a round, pale, yellow root without leaves or
stalk. It is dug up in the spring and is edible eaten
either raw or boiled [vegetable].
2-176. SMILAX
suggested: Smilax-hortensis, Phasiolus [Fuchs],
Phaseolus vulgaris [Linnaeus], Phaseolus vulgaris,
Phaseolus coccineus — French Beans, Kidney Beans,
Scarlet Runner Beans, Haricot Beans
[other usage] M yrsiphyllum asparagoides — Smilax,
Climbing Asparagus
see 2-130
G arden smilax whose fruit I obi a (pods) is called
asparagus by some, has leaves like ivy only softer,
with thin stalks and tendrils wrapped around the
neighbouring shrubs. These grow so much that they are
made into bowers. It bears fruit similar to fenugreek but
longer and more widely known, with seeds within
similar to kidneys, not the same colour but partly
somewhat reddish. The fruit (pod) is eaten with the seeds
as a vegetable, boiled like asparagus. It encourages urine
and causes troublesome dreams.
300
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Erucafylucftris.
tPtlfcer wcifler @cnff*
1 47
301
LACHANA: VEGETABLES
Smilaxiiortcnfts. 4°?
tDdfd; Bosiejt,
302
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-177. MEDICE
suggested: M edicago sativa — Lucerne, Alfalfa,
Common Medick
M edica recently sprung-up is similar to meadow
tri folium [clover] but when more grown it becomes
narrower-leaved, sending out stalks similar to tri folium
with seeds the size of a lentil, twisted around like a little
horn. This is dried and mixed (because of its sweet
savour) in salt sauces. Applied whilst green it is good for
whatever has need of cooling. Those who breed beasts
use the whole herb instead of grass [fodder].
2-178. APHAKE
suggested: A phace, Sylvestris vitia, Osmundi [Fuchs],
Vicia sepium [Bauhin, Linnaeus] — Bush Vetch [Mabberley]
[other usage] Lathy rus aphaca, Aphaca vulgaris,
Lathy rus segetum — Yellow Vetchling
phaca is a small-leaved little shrub that grows in the
xJLfields, higher than lentils. The pods that are found
thickly on it are bigger than lentil pods. They contain
three or four little seeds smaller than lentils. These little
seeds are astringent, as a result they stop both excessive
discharge of the bowels and the stomach. They are
[eaten] as the lentil is, fried or bruised and boiled
[vegetable].
after FAGUET — 1888
303
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
Leek— Allium
ameloprasum var porrum
after FAGUET — 1888
HERBS WITH A SHARP
QUALITY
2-179. PRASON
suggested: Porrum capitatum [Fuchs], A Ilium porrum,
Porrum sectivum, Allium schoenoprasum [Linnaeus],
Porrum commune, A Ilium ameloprasum var porrum — Leek
T he headed prasum (which the Latins call porrum ) is
inflative, has bad juice, causes troublesome dreams,
is uretic and good for the stomach, reduces the intensity
of symptoms, causes dullness of sight, expels the
menstrual flow, and hurts ulcerated bladders and
kidneys. Boiled with barley water (or otherwise eaten) it
brings out things that close up the chest. The blades
boiled in sea water and vinegar are excellent in a bath for
suffocation and hardness of the womb. It grows sweet
and becomes less flatulent if it is boiled in two [separate]
waters and steeped in [fresh] cold water. The seed is
sharper and somewhat astringent. As a result, the juice
mixed with vinegar and manna [exudation of certain
trees] or frankincense, stops the blood (especially that
which comes from the nostrils), discourages venereal
diseases, and is good used as linctus [syrup] with honey
for all disorders in the chest. Eaten (it is good) against
consumption [wasting disease]. It cleans the breath
canals [lungs]. Eaten frequently it dulls the sight and is
worthless for the stomach. Taken as a drink with honey
and water the juice is a remedy for those bitten by
venomous creatures, and the prasum itself also does good
if applied. The juice dropped in the ears with vinegar,
frankincense, and mi lk or rosaceum [1-53] helps earache
and noises in the ears. The leaves applied with rhoe [4-64]
obsoniorum [any food which is not bread] take away var OS
[papules of smallpox], and heals pustules which appear
at night. Applied with salt it removes the edges on the
crusts of ulcers. Two teaspoonfuls of the seeds (taken in a
drink with the same amount of myrtle berries) stop the
throwing-up of old blood.
304
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Aphace*
tPifo Widen.
ci
305
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
306
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-180. AMELOPRASON
suggested: A Ilium ameloprasum var ameloprasum
— Wild Leek, Blue Leek, Vine Leek, Great-headed Garlic,
Levant Garlic
A mpeloprasum is worse for the stomach than leeks but
is warmer and more uretic, expelling the menstrual
flow. It is good if those bitten by poisonous beasts eat it.
2-181. KROMUON
SUGGESTED: Askolonion krommoon [Theophrastus],
Cepa ascolonia [Pliny], Cepa [Fuchs], Cepa vulgaris [Bauhin],
A Ilium cepa [Linnaeus], Porrum cepa — Onion
Allium ascalonium, Porrum ascalonium — Shallot, Scallion,
Ascalonian Garlic
T he long onion is sharper than the round, the red
more than the white, the dry more than the green,
the raw more than the roasted or that kept in salt. All of
them have a biting quality and are inflative, inviting
appetite. They reduce the intensity of symptoms, cause
thirst, cause nauseousness and purging, are good for the
bowels, open the passages for excrement, and are good
for haemorrhoids. First peeled and put into oil, they are
given as a suppository. The juice rubbed on with honey
helps dull sight, argema [small white ulcer on the cornea],
small clouds in the eye, and those who are beginning to
be troubled with liquids in the eyes, as well as angina
[heart pains]. It both induces and expels the menstrual
flow, and inhaled it purges the head by the nostrils. It is a
poultice with salt, rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98] and honey for
those bitten by dogs. Thoroughly rubbed on in the sun
with vinegar it cures vi ti I i gi n es [form of leprosy], and with
an equal amount of spodium [calcined powder] it lessens
scabby inflammations of the eyes. With salt it represses
var OS [smallpox pustules]. With poultry grease it is good
for shoe-chafing, excessive discharges of the intestines,
hardness of hearing, noise in the ears, and purulent ears.
It is also good for dripping water in the ears, and the loss
of hair (rubbed on) as it brings out the hair sooner than
alcyonium [5-136]. Onion (much eaten) causes headaches,
but boiled it becomes more diuretic. If much is eaten in
307
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
times of sickness it makes men lethargic. Boiled and
applied as a plaster with raisins of the sun or figs it ripens
and breaks swelling sores. It is also called poly ides, the
Magi call it Cdlabotis, and the Latins, caepa.
2-182. SKORODON,
LEUKOSKORODON,
OPHIOSKORODON,
ELAPHOSKORODON
suggested: A Ilium hortense, Allium sylvestre,
Allium ursinum [Fuchs, Linnaeus], A Ilium sativum,
Allium vineale, Allium oleraceum, Porrum sativum — Garlic
S ome garlic is cultivated and grows in gardens, and
that in Egypt has only one head like the leek — sweet,
inclining to a purple colour. Elsewhere it is compacted of
many white cloves that the Greeks call aglithai. There is
another wild kind called ophioscorodon (that is, serpent's
garlic). It has a sharp, warming, biting quality. It expels
flatulence, disturbs the belly, dries the stomach, causes
thirst and puffing up, breeds boils on the outside of the
body, and dulls vision. 0 phioscorodon does the same
things when eaten, as well as elaphoscorodon (as we should
say, hart's garlic). Eaten, it draws out broadworms and
draws away urine. It is good like nothing else for those
bitten by vipers or with haemorrhous [women's excessive
loss of blood] (with wine taken shortly afterwards), or
else pounded into small pieces in wine and taken as a
drink. It is applied as a poultice that is effective for the
same purposes, as well as applied to anyone bitten by a
mad dog. Eaten, it is good against change of waters (to
clear the throat, and the same way to relieve roughness of
the throat). It clears the arteries, and eaten either raw or
boiled lessens old coughs. Taken as a drink with a
decoction of origanum it kills lice and nits. Burnt and
mixed with honey it cures bruised eyes. It is rubbed on for
loss of hair but for this it must be used with ointment of
nard [1-6, 1-7, 1-8, 1-10]. With salt and oil it heals erupted
pimples. With honey it takes away vitiligines [form of
leprosy], lichenes [skin disease], freckles, running ulcers
on the head, dandruff, and psoriasis. Boiled with taeda
[pitch pine] and frankincense and kept in the mouth it
lessens toothache. It is a poultice with fig leaves and
308
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
309
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
Cucurbits pepo
after THIEBAULT — 1888
310
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
cumin for those bitten by the my g die [shrew mouse]. A
decoction of the leaves is a hip bath to bring down the
menstrual flow and afterbirth. It is also inhaled as smoke
for the same purpose. The stamping that is made of it
with black olives called myrton [garlic and olives] induces
the movement of urine, opens the mouths of veins, and is
good for dropsy. It is also called geboscum, some call it
elaphoboscum, and the Latins, allium.
2-183. SKORODOPRASON
suggested: Allium scorodoprasum — Spanish Garlic,
Spanish Shallot
S cordoprasum grows to the size of a leek, sharing the
qualities of both garlic and leek (from which it has a
mixed kind of strength), performing things that the garlic
and the leek do, but with fewer efficacies. It is used as a
vegetable, eaten boiled like leek and thus made to
become sweet.
2-184. SINEPI
suggested: N apy, Sinapis primum genus [Fuchs],
Sinapi hortense [Brunfels], Sinapis alba [Linnaeus],
Leucosinapis officinalis, Brassica alba — White Mustard,
Salad Mustard, Cultivated Mustard
C hoose sinepi that is not very dry, red or full; but
which if broken looks green within, and as it were
juicy and bluish grey. This sort is new and in its prime. It
is able to warm, thin, and to draw, and is chewed to purge
phlegm from the head. The juice (mixed with honey
water and gargled) is good for hard swollen tonsils, and
for old, hard, rough skin of the arteries. Pounded into
small pieces and put into the nostrils it causes snivelling,
helps the epileptic, and revives those troubled with
constriction of the vulva. It is rubbed on the lethargic
(their head being first shaved). Mixed with figs and
applied to the place until it becomes red it is good for
sciatica [pains in the hips]. It is used to draw out anything
from deep within to the outside of the body (to cure it) by
diverting the suffering some other way. Rubbed on with
honey, fat or wax ointment it cures loss of hair, cleans the
311
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
face, and takes away bruises from the eyes. It is rubbed
about with vinegar for leprosy and wild impetigo [skin
infection]. It is taken in a drink against the circuits of
fevers, being sprinkled on the drink dry (the same as
polenta). It is effective mixed with drawing plasters such
as those made for scabies [itchy parasitical disease]. It is
good pounded with figs and applied for hardness of
hearing and noise in the ears. The juice rubbed on with
honey is good for dullness of sight and rough skin of the
jowls. The juice is pressed out of it whilst the seed is green
and dried in the sun. It is also called napy, and the
Romans call it sinapi.
2-185. KARDAMON
suggested: Nasturtium hortense, Nasturtium sativum,
Cressio hortensis [Fuchs, Brunfels], Cardamum,
N asturtium hortense vulgatum [Bauhin], L epidium sativum
[Linnaeus ], Lepidium oleraceum — Common Garden Cress,
Tongue Grass
T he best cress seems to be from Babylon. The seed of
any sort of cress is warming, sharp, bad for the
stomach, troubles the intestines, expels worms, lessens
the spleen, is an abortifacient, moves the menstrual flow,
and incites to copulation [aphrodisiac]. It has a similar
nature to mustard seed and rocket seed. It cleans away
psoriasis and impetigo [skin infection]. It keeps the spleen
low, rubbed on with honey. It takes away smallpox
pustules, and boiled in sipping drinks brings up things
sticking in the chest. Taken as a drink it is an antidote
against the poison of snakes, and it drives away snakes
with inhalation of the smoke from it. It prevents falling
hair. It brings carbuncles [infected boils] to suppuration
breaking them all around. It is good for sciatica rubbed on
with vinegar and polenta. It dissolves oedema and
inflammation, and rubbed on with brine brings boils or
inflammatory tumours to suppuration. The herb does the
same things as the seed yet it is somewhat less effective. It
is also called cynocardamom , iberis , cardamina, or
cardamantica ; the Egyptians call it semeth, and the Latins,
nasturtium.
312
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Lepidium perfoliatum
after FAGUET — 1888
313
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
314
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-186. THLASPI
suggested: Thlaspi latifolium [Fuchs ],Thlaspi campestre
[Linnaeus], Lepidium campestre [Brunfels] — Field Cress,
Wild Bastard Cress, Pepperwort
[other usage] Thlaspi arvense — Penny Cress,
Mithridate Mustard, Wild Cress
Thlaspi alliaceum — Garlic-scented Shepherd's Purse
T hlaspi is a little herb, narrow in the leaves, the height
of about a finger, bending to the ground, divided at
the top, somewhat fat. It sends out a little stalk two feet in
height with a few little branches. Around the whole of it
there is fruit from the top, somewhat broad, in which a
little seed is enclosed similar to nasturtium [2-185], shaped
like a dish as it were, broken or bruised, from which it
took its name. The flowers are somewhat white, and it
grows in paths, on walls, and in hedges. The seed is sharp
and warming. An acetabulum [vinegar cruet measure]
(taken in a drink) purges bile upward and downward. It
is made into a sup pository for sciatica. Taken in a
drink it brings out blood and breaks internal abscesses. It
induces the menstrual flow and is an abortifacient.
Crateuas mentions another kind of thlaspi called Per si cum
sinapi, broad-leaved and big-rooted, and this is also
mixed in suppositories for sciatica. It is also called
thlaspidium, sinapim, sinapi syivestre, myiten, myopteron,
dasmophon, or bitrum ; the Egyptians call it sui temp sum, the
Romans, scandulaceum, and it is also called capsella, or pes
gallinaceum.
2-187. DRABA
suggested: Draba verna [Linnaeus], Europhila vulgaris
— Common Europhila
D raba olympica, D raba arabis, D raba nemoralis
— Witlow Grass
D raba, a herb of about a foot high, has slender sprigs
with leaves on both sides like lepidium, yet more
tender and paler, and a tuft on the top with white flowers
similar to elder. This herb is boiled with barley water
(especially in Cappadocia) and the dry seed is mixed with
sauces instead of pepper.
315
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
2-188. ERUSIMON
suggested: Irion, Sinapis sylvestris,Rapistrum [Fuchs],
Rapistrum floreluteo [Bauhin], Sinapis arvensis [Linnaeus],
Sisymbrium officinale, Erysimum officinale— Hedge Mustard,
Singer's Plant
[other usage] E rysi mum alii ari a, Alii ari a offi ci n alis
— Blistercress, Garlicwort
Erysimum bar barea, Erysimum cheiranthoides
— Treacle Mustard, Treacle Wormseed
E rysimum grows about towns, the yards of houses and
gardens. It has leaves like eruca sylvestris [2-170]. It
has a little stalk, pliable and flexible like a rein, and
flowers of a yellowish colour. On the top are little pods
like horns (as slender as those of fenugreek) in which are
little seeds like those of nasturtium [2-185], burning
according to the taste. Licked in with honey they are
good for excessive discharges of the chest, spitting-up of
rotten stuff, coughs, jaundice and sciatica [pains in hips;
sciatic nerves]. It is taken in a drink against deadly
medicinal drinks [antidote]. Rubbed on with water or
honey it is good for hidden diseases of the cornea, hard
lumps, glandular tumours, inflammation from stones
[urinary, kidney], and inflammation of the breasts. In
general it thins and warms but it is made milder for
syrups — first steeped in water and dried or bound into a
linen cloth, wrapped around with kneaded flour, and
roasted. ( Erysimum , pounded into small pieces with
wine, should be taken as a drink for pains in the
intestines; and if you put seven grains into a house, there
shall be arguing). It is also called chamaeplion, the Magi call
it Herculis psoriasista , the Egyptians, erethmu, and the
Romans call it irio.
2-189. PIPER
suggested: Piper longum, Piper aromaticum, Piper chaba,
C haba officinarum, C haba roxberghii — Long Pepper
Piper nigrum — Black Pepper
P epper is said to be a short tree that growing in India
which sends out a fruit — at first long, similar to pods
— which is the long pepper. It has something within it
316
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Irion*
*43
317
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
Piper nigrum
after FAGUET — 1874
318
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
similar to millet, will be perfect pepper. At its time of
opening itself it sends out clusters bearing grains such as
we know (some of which are unripe) which are the white
pepper — especially suitable for eye medicines,
antidotes, and for the bites of poisonous snakes. The long
pepper is endowed with an extraordinarily biting
quality, is somewhat bitter because of being unripe, and
is suitable for antidotes and the bites of poisonous snakes.
The black is sweeter and sharper than the white, more
pleasant to the mouth, more aromatic because it is ripe,
and fitter to be used in sauces; but the white and unripe is
weaker. Choose that which is heaviest and full, black, not
too wrinkled, new and not branny. Some is found among
the black — without nourishment, lank and light —
which is called brdsma. All pepper in general is warming,
urinary, digestive, attracting and dissolving, and cleans
away things that darken the pupils. It is good (either
taken in a drink or rubbed on) for periodical chills (of
fevers), it helps those bitten by poisonous beasts, and it is
an abortifacient. Applied as a pessary it seems to hinder
conception after sexual intercourse [birth control]. It is
good (taken either in syrups or liquid medicines) for
suffering about the chest and for coughs. It is good
rubbed on with honey for tonsillitis, and dissolves
griping taken as a drink with tender leaves of laurel.
Chewed with adenoid passae [lozenges] it draws mucus
out of the head. Mixed in sauces it eases pain, is healing,
and encourages appetite. Taken with pitch it dissolves
scrofulous tumours [glandular swelling], and with nitre
[saltpetre] it cleans away vitiligines [type of leprosy]. It is
roasted in a new ceramic jar over coals — being shaken
about similar to lens [lentils] . The root of it is not ginger (as
some have supposed) as we will show a little later. Yet the
root of pepper is similar to COStus [1-15] — warming the
taste and causing spittle. Rubbed on with vinegar it
humbles the spleen, and chewed with stavesacre [4-156]
it extracts mucus.
2-190. ZINGIBERI
suggested: Zingiber officinale— Ginger
G inger is a private plant growing plentifully in
primitive Arabia. The green herb is used for many
319
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
purposes (as we use rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98], boiling and
mixing it in oil) for drinking, and with boiled meats. It has
small little roots like those of Cyprus [1-124], whitish,
resembling pepper in taste, and with a sweet smell.
Choose those that are least rotten. Some (because of
rotting soon) are preserved and carried into Italy in
ceramic jars and are fit for [use with] meat, but they are
used together with their pickle. They are warming and
digestive, soften the intestines gently, and are good for
the stomach. Ginger root is effective against things that
darken the pupils [eyes]. It is also mixed with antidotes,
and in a general way it resembles pepper in its strength.
2-191. UDROPEPERI
suggested: Hydropiper [Fuchs], Persicaria urens,
Persica hydropiper [Bauhin], Polygonum hydropiper [Linnaeus]
— Water Pepper
SLIGHTLY POISONOUS
H ydropiper grows chiefly near standing waters or
those flowing gently. It sends out a stalk that is
knotty and strong, around which are hollows with
wings; and leaves similar to mint, but bigger, more
delicate and whiter, sharp in taste, similar to pepper but
without any sweet smell. It has a fruit growing on the
little branches near the leaves, hanging close together like
clusters of grapes, and it is also sharp. The leaves applied
with the seeds are able to dissolve oedema and old hard
lumps, and take away bruises. Dried and pounded, they
are mixed with salt and sauces instead of pepper. It has a
little root that is of no use.
2-192. PTARMIKE
suggested: Ptarmice, Pyrethrum sylvestre [Fuchs],
D racunculis pratensis serrato folio [Bauhin], A chi Ilea ptarmica,
A chi I lea macrocephala, Ptarmika vulgaris — Sneezewort,
Bastard Pellitory
P tarmica is a little shrub with many small round
branches similar to southernwood, around which are
many leaves — somewhat long, similar to those of the
olive tree. On the top is a little head like anthemis arvensis
320
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
321
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
Capparisspinosa
after FAGUET — 1874
322
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
[3-156], small, round, sharp according to the smell,
causing sneezing, from which it is named. The leaves
smeared on (with the flowers) are able to take away
bruises below the eyes. The flowers induce sneezing
most effectively. It grows in mountainous and rocky
places.
2-193. STROUTHION
suggested: Struthium, Saponaria [Fuchs],
Saponaria major laevis [Bauhin], Saponaria officinalis [Linnaeus]
— Soapwort, Bouncing Bet, Fuller's Herb [Mabberley]
S truthium (which fullers use for cleaning their wool) is
commonly known. The root is sharp and uretic. A
spoonful of it (taken with honey) helps those with liver
disorders, coughs, and asthma; and it draws off bowels.
Taken with panaces [3-55, 3-56, 3-57] and root of cap par is
[2-204] it breaks stones [kidney] and voids them by urine,
and melts a hardened spleen; and (placed below) it
draws down the menstrual flow, and is an abortifacient.
Smeared on with polenta and vinegar it takes away
leprosy. Boiled with barley meal and wine it dissolves the
inflammation of bones. It is mixed with eye salves made
for sharpening the sight, and with soothing medicines. It
induces sneezing. Pounded into small pieces and put up
into the nostrils with honey it purges through the mouth.
It is also called cerdon, catharsis , struthiocamelus, or
chamaerrhytos; the Magi call it chalyriton, the Latins, radix ,
or herba I an aria, the Egyptians, oeno, and the Africans call it
syris.
2-194. KUKL AMINOS
suggested: Cyclamen cyclaminus, Cyclamen europaem
[Linnaeus], Cyclamen littorale, Cyclamen officinale
— Cyclamen, Sow Bread, Bleeding Nun
Cyclamen graecum — Greek Cyclamen
C yclaminus has leaves like cissus, a purple colour,
varied, with whitish spots beneath and above; a
stalk of four fingers high, bare and naked, on which are
flowers similar to roses, tending to a purple colour; the
root black, very similar to rape [coleseed] root and
323
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
somewhat broader. Taken as a drink with honey water it
drives phlegm and water [fluids] downwards. It induces
the menstrual flow either taken in a drink or placed
below. They say that if a woman great with child walks
over the root that she aborts, and that tied around her it
hastens the birth. It is taken as a drink with wine against
deadly poisons, especially against the sea hare. Applied,
it is a remedy against the bites of snakes, and mixed with
wine it causes drunkenness. Three teaspoonfuls (taken in
a drink with passu m [raisin wine] or honey diluted in
water) drives away yellow jaundice, but whoever drinks
it must lie down on his bed in a warm house not open to
the wind, and be covered with many cloths so that he
may sweat (more easily). The sweat that comes out is
found to be a bile colour. Juice from cydaminus is put into
the nostrils with honey to purge the head. It is inserted on
wool into the perineum to bring down excrement from
the bowels. Rubbed on the navel and the lower part of
the bowels and the hips it softens the bowels, and
produces abortions. The juice rubbed on with honey is
good for bathing the eyes and moisture of the eyes. It is
also mixed with medicines that cause abortion. The juice
rubbed on with vinegar restores a fallen perineum. The
pounded root is juiced and squeezed out, the juice then
boiled to the consistency of honey. The root with vinegar
(either alone or with honey) cleans the skin, stops
pustules from breaking out and cures wounds. Applied,
it softens the spleen (and reduces it). It takes away
sunburn, and [repairs] the loss of hair. A decoction
applied with hot cloths is suitable for dislocations, gout,
little ulcers on the head and chilblains. Boiled in old oil
and the oil smeared on, it brings wounds to a scar. The
root is made hollow, filled with oil, and set over warm
ashes (and sometimes a little Tyrrhenian [Etruscan] wax
is added so that it is gluey). This is an excellent ointment
for those troubled with chilblains. The root is kept in
storage, cut in pieces like squill. It is said that it is
pounded and made into lozenges and taken with
catapotia [pills]. It grows in shady places, especially under
trees. It is also called cissanthemon, cissophylon, chelonion,
ichthyotheron, chuline, zoroastris, or trimphalites ; Osthenes
calls it aspho, the Magi, mi aspho, the Egyptians, theske, the
Romans, rapum terrae, umbilicus terrae, or orbicularis, and
it is also called arcar.
324
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
i$4 Cyclaminus rotunda,
Kunb
325
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
452 Struthmm fatiuum,
©eyffertfraut*
326
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-195. KUKL AMINOS ETERA
suggested: Cyclamen psuedo-graecum
T he other cyclamen (also called cissanthemon or
cissophylon ) has leaves similar to cissus but smaller;
thick, knotty stalks rolling around the trees that grow
next to them, similar to the tendrils of vines. The flowers
are white and fragrant, and the fruit is bunches of berries
similar to CISSUS, soft, single, sharp to the taste and
viscous. The root is useless. It grows in rough places. One
teaspoon of the fruit (taken in a drink with two cups of
white wine [daily] for forty days) melts the spleen, and
brings down the intestines by urine. It is taken in a drink
for asthma. Taken in a drink it purges away the residue
[placenta] after childbearing.
2-196a. DRAKONTION MECA
suggested: Dracunculus [Fuchs], Dracunculus polyphyllus,
A rum dracunculus [Linnaeus], D racunculis vulgaris [in
Sprague], Arum dracunculus, Dracunculus vulgaris,
Dracontia radix — Dragonwort, Common Dragon,
Dragon Arum, Snake Plant, Lords and Ladies
D racontium maius grows in shady places around
hedges. It has a smooth upright stalk about two feet
in height and the thickness of a staff around, over-
coloured according to the time, so that it resembles a
dragon, and it abounds in purple spots. It has leaves like
lapathum [2-140] folded within one another. It brings
forth a fruit on the top of the stalk in clusters — at first an
ash colour, but when ripe inclining to a saffron and
purple colour. It has a very great root, round, white, with
a thin bark. It is gathered and juiced when thoroughly
ripe, and dried in the shade. The root is dug up during
harvest, washed, cut in small pieces, thrust through with
a thong and dried in the shade. It is warming, taken in a
drink with diluted wine. Boiled or roasted it is good
(taken as a linctus [syrup] with honey) for orthopnoea
[form of asthma], hernia, convulsions, coughs, and
dripping fluids. Taken in a drink with wine it stirs up the
vehement desire to sexual intercourse [aphrodisiac].
Pounded into small pieces with honey and applied, it
327
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
takes away the malignancy of ulcers and eating ulcers
(especially with the white vine [bryony]). Suppositories
are formed from it with honey for fistulas, and for use as
an abortifacient. It is good for vitiligines [form of leprosy]
smeared on with honey. It takes away polyps and
diseases of the cornea. The juice is good for eye
medicines, small clouds in the eye, white spots on the
cornea, and mistiness in the eyes. The smell of the root or
herb is destructive of recent conceptions [abortifacient],
as are thirty grains of the seed (taken in a drink with posed
[hot drinks]). Some pour the juice of this (with oil) into
the ears of those with earache, and apply the leaves as an
astringent on new wounds, as well as boiled in wine to
those with chilblains. They say that a viper shall not bite
those who rub the leaves in their hands or carry the dug
up root about them. It is also called aron, isaron, iaron,
hieracicus, biaron, aron agreste, or cy peris- the Romans call it
colubrina, some, mauriaria, and others call it sigingialios.
2-196b. DRAKONTION MIKRON
suggested: Hydropiper rubeum, Dracontion micron,
D racunculus minor [Fuchs], D racunculus Plinii,
D racunculus palustris [Bauhin], Calla pa/ustris [Linnaeus]
— Water Arum
SEEDS POISONOUS
D racontium or dracunculus has large leaves similar to
cissus with white spots and an upright stalk forty
inches high, over-coloured, like the shape of a snake,
spotted with purple spots, and the thickness of a stalk.
The fruit on the top is similar to clusters of grapes, the
colour at first indeed similar to grass but when ripe
similar to saffron, biting to the taste. The root is round
and bulbous, similar to aron [2-197], with a thin bark. It
grows in shady places around hedges and mounds. The
juice of the seed (pressed out and put with oil into the
ear) stops earaches. Put into the nostrils with wool it
destroys polyps. Rubbed on, it stops diseases of the
cornea [eyes]. As much as thirty grains (taken as a drink
with posca [hot drinks]) cause abortion. They say that the
smell of it after the flowers have withered destroys newly
conceived embryos [abortifacient]. The root has a
warming quality and helps asthma, hernias, convulsions.
328
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Cucumis melo
after THIEBAULT — 1888
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
DracimcuTus maior* 131
©: o£ 6c$an0enfraut.
330
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
coughs, and dripping fluids. It makes the moisture
sticking in the chest easily expectorated given either
boiled or roasted with honey, or else eaten alone. Dried
and pounded fine it is taken in syrup with honey. It is
diuretic and (taken in a drink of wine) stirs up affections
to sexual intercourse [aphrodisiac]. Pounded fine with
white bryony and honey it cleans malignant and
spreading ulcers and brings them to a scar. Salves are
made from it for fistulas, and for bringing out the embryo
[abortifacient]. They say that if any one rubs his hands
with the root he remains unbitten by a viper. It cleans
away vitiligines [form of leprosy] rubbed on with vinegar.
The leaves pounded into small pieces are effectively
applied to one newly wounded instead of flax seed. For
chilblains it is boiled in wine and applied. Wrapped in the
leaves, cheese is kept from putrefying. The juice of the
root is good for small clouds in the eye, white spots on the
cornea, and dim vision. The root is used for health (eaten
either boiled or raw). Those who live in the Gymnesian
Isles called Baleares mix the boiled root with a lot of
honey and place it in their banquets instead of placentae
[cakes]. The roots must be put in jars by those who dug it
up during the harvest, having first washed them, cut
them in small pieces, made a thread go through them and
dried them in the shade.
2-197. ARON
suggested: A rum vulgarenon maculatum [Brunfels]
Arum colocasia,Arum esculent a, Colocasia anti quorum,
Colocasia esculenta,Caladium nymphaefolium
— Egyptian Arum, Colocasia, Eatable Arum, Taro
A rum maculatum [Linnaeus] — Sago
A ron sends out leaves similar to those of dracontium,
yet smaller and less spotted; a faint purple stalk
twenty centimetres long in the shape of a pestle, in which
is fruit inclining to a saffron colour. The root — white like
that of dracontium — is also [a vegetable] eaten boiled,
and is somewhat less sharp. The leaves are preserved in
salt for eating. Dried, they are boiled and eaten by
themselves. The roots, seeds and leaves have the same
strength as dracontium. Particularly the root, applied with
bullock's dung to those troubled with gout, does them
331
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
good. The root is stored in the same way as the root of
dracunculum. In brief it is edible because it is not
oversharp. It is also called lupha; among the Syrians it is
called alimon, some call it thymon, some, dracontium, and
the Cyprians call it colocassion.
2-198. ARISARON
suggested: Arum arisarum, Arisarum vulgare— Aris,
Friar's Cowl
A risarum is a small little herb with a root the size of an
olive tree's, but it is sharper than aron [arum]. As a
result (rubbed on) it prevents gangrenous ulceration of
the cheeks. Salves are made from it that are effective for
fistulas, but either put in or applied it destroys the
genitals of any living creature.
Asphodel
Asphodelusluteus
after FAGUET — 1888
2-199. ASPHODELOS
suggested: Asphodel us foemina [Fuchs], Li Hum purpureum
[Brunfels], L ilium martagone [Linnaeus], A sphodelus albus,
A sphodelus ramosus — Asphodel, King's Rod
A sphodelus is a plant (known to most) with leaves
similar to the great leek and a smooth stalk. On the
top is a flower called an thericon . The roots are underneath
— somewhat long, round, similar to suppositories, sharp
to the taste, and warming in strength. A teaspoonful of
these (taken in a drink of wine) induces the movement of
urine and the menstrual flow. They also cure pains of the
side, coughs, convulsions and hernia. It causes easy
vomiting if as much as a knucklebone is eaten with meat.
As much as three teaspoonfuls given to those bitten by
snakes is effective; and you must apply a poultice made
of the leaves, root and flowers with wine to bites. The
sediment of wine boiled together with the root cures
filthy feeding ulcers, inflammation of the breasts, stones
[kidney, urinary], tubercula [nodules], and boils or
inflammatory tumours, but for new inflammation [it is to
be applied] with polenta. The juice of the root with old
sweet wine, myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] and saffron, (boiled
together) is an excellent medicine to rub on the eyes.
Either alone or warmed together with frankincense.
332
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
333
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
131 DracunctiTusPImtj tertius.
tPaffer 0 d>knjjenEr<uir.
D raamculus Plinij tertius
from FUCHS — 1545
334
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
honey, wine and myrrh it is good to put into purulent
ears. The juice (alone) poured into the opposing ear,
lessens toothache. The burnt ashes of the root are rubbed
on to thicken thinned hair. The oil (boiled in the
hollowed roots over a fire) is rubbed on ulcerated
chilblains and burns; and poured into the ear it helps
earache. The root is smeared on to take away vitiligo alba
[type of leprosy] that is first rubbed with a napkin in the
sun. The seed and flowers (taken in a drink of wine) are
an extraordinary remedy against the strikes of
millipedes, centipedes and scorpions. However they
purge the intestines excessively. It bears flowers at the
time of harvest but white asphodel US must be cut down
around the vernal equinox before the seed increases.
They say that the root (taken in a drink) makes men have
no appetite for pursuit of sexual pleasure
[anaphrodisiac]. And Crateuas the herbalist says the
same and that one teaspoonful of the root (taken as a
drink with wine) cures the pains of gout. It is also called
anthericum, and the Romans call it albucium.
2-200. BOLBOS EDODIMOS
suggested: Bulbus sylvestris [Fuchs], Ornithogalum luteum
[Bauhin, Linnaeus], Gagea lutea [in Sprague]
— Yellow Star of Bethlehem
T he edible red bulbus that is brought from Africa is well
known to all; good for the stomach and bowels. That
which is bitter and similar to the squill is better for the
stomach and helps digestion. All are sharp and warming,
provoke sexual intercourse [aphrodisiac], and are harsh
to the tongue and tonsils. They are very nourishing and
replenish flesh but they breed wind. Rubbed on they are
good for dislocations, bruises, splinters, sore joints,
gangrene, and gout (applied either with honey or by
themselves). They are good for oedema from dropsy, and
the bites of dogs (applied similarly with honey, and
pepper pounded into small pieces). They repress sweats
and alleviate pains in the stomach. Roasted with saltpetre
[potassium nitrate] they clean away dandruff and
running sores on the head. They clean bruises below the
eyes applied either alone or with the yolk of an egg, and
with honey or vinegar [they also remove] varos [smallpox
335
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
pustules], as well as freckles. With polenta they are good
for broken places of the ears, and for bruise ointments.
They take away piles [haemorrhoids] roasted in hot
embers and applied with the burnt heads of fish called
maenae. Burnt and mixed with alcyonium [5-136] and
rubbed on in the sun they take away sunburn and black
scars. Boiled and eaten with vinegar they are good for
hernias. Care must be taken of feeding too much on them
because they hurt the sinews. Boiled with polenta and
applied with swines' grease it quickly brings oedema and
tubercles [growths] to suppuration and breaks them.
2-201. BOLBOS EMETIKOS
suggested: Scilla amoena — Nodding Squill
Ornithogalum arabicum — Great-flowered Star of Bethlehem
U rginea maritima
after FAGUET — 1888
B ulbus vomitorius has more flexible leaves — similar to
a bridle and far bigger than the edible; and a root
with a black bark similar to the bulbus [above]. The root
eaten alone (as well as a decoction of it taken as a drink)
cures disorders of the bladder and encourages vomiting.
2-202. SKILLA
suggested: Scilla maritima [Linnaeus]
0 rnithogalum maritima, U rginea scilla, U rginea maritima
— Medicinal Squill, Sea Onion, Squill
VERY POISONOUS
S cilla is sharp and burning but it is roasted and made
useful for man's purposes. It is wrapped in dough or
clay and put into an oven or hidden under hot coals until
the dough that enfolds it is sufficiently baked. When
taken off (if the squill within it is not tender) we shall bake
it again, placing other dough or clay around it — for that
which is not thus roasted is hurtful if given, especially if it
is (taken inwardly) carried to the bowels. It is likewise
baked in a tightly-corked ceramic ]ar and put into an
oven, and of that the very middle part is taken, the part
around the outside of it being thrown away. It is then cut
into pieces and boiled, the first water thrown away and
fresh water poured on it, until the water becomes neither
bitter nor sharp. It is also cut into pieces and dried in the
336
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Bulfrus (yltieftris*
*S
337
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
338
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
shade and the pieces thrust through with a little linen
thread, so that the parcels may not touch one another.
These pieces we use to manufacture oil, wine, and
vinegar of squills.
For cracks in the feet the inner part of the raw squill is
applied (either boiled in oil or else dissolved with rosin).
Boiled with vinegar it is a plaster for those bitten by
vipers. Mixing eight parts of roasted salt (pounded into
small pieces) to one part of roasted squill we give one
spoonful or two of it to those fasting for softening the
bowels. Put into liquid medicines and aromatic
medicines it is good for those in whom we wish to induce
movement of urine, for dropsy, a stomach in which the
meat swims above, jaundice, griping, those troubled with
a cough for a long time, the asthmatic, and those who spit
up (blood). Thirty grains (taken as a syrup with honey) is
sufficient. It is boiled together with honey and eaten for
the same purposes, very much facilitating mixtures. It
also draws out the slimy stuff that sticks in the bowels.
Boiled and taken in the same way it does the same, and
must be avoided by those who have an inward
ulceration. Roasted squill (rubbed on) is good for hanging
warts and chilblains. The seed (pounded into small pieces
and eaten with a dried fig or honey) softens the bowels. It
is also an antidote against poison hanged up whole
before doors.
2-203. PANICRATION
suggested: Pancratium maritimum, Scilla pancratium
— Sea Pancratium Lily, Sea Daffodil
P ancratium (also called the little squill) has a pale red or
pale purple root similar to the great bulbus, and a
bitter burning taste. The leaves are similar to lilies but
longer. It has a similar strength and preparation as the
squill and the same dose [is to be taken of it]. It is good for
the same disorders but has a milder nature than squill. As
a result the root (juiced and mixed with flour of ervum
[2-129, 2-131] and formed into tablets) is effective given
with honey water for the spleen, and dropsy.
339
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
2-204. KAPPARIS
SUGGESTED: Capparis spinosa — Common Caper Bush, Caper
C apparis is a prickly shrub spread in a round
circumference on the ground. There are prickles on
the bush, crooked like a hook. The leaves are round
(similar to those of the malicottoon [quince] tree), and the
fruit similar to olives. On opening it first sends forth a
white flower, which, falling off, there is found something
in the shape of of a long suppository. When opened this
has little red grains similar to those of a pomegranate. The
many roots are woody and great. It grows only in rough
barren places, islands, and in courtyards belonging to
houses. Both the stalk and fruit are preserved in salt to
eat. It disturbs the belly, is worthless for the stomach, and
causes thirst. Eaten boiled it is better for the stomach than
raw. Two teaspoonfuls of the fruit reduces the spleen
(taken in a drink with wine daily for forty days); it also
expels urine and bloody excrement. The same (taken in a
drink) helps sciatica and palsy, and is good for hernia and
convulsions. Boiled in vinegar and used as a mouthwash
it dries out the menstrual flow, draws away mucus in the
head, and it lessens toothache. The dry rind of the root is
good for the things spoken of before, and also cleans
away every old, filthy, hard ulcer. It is laid (with barley
meal) on those troubled with spleen, and the root is bitten
to help a pained tooth. Pounded into small pieces with
vinegar it takes away white vitiligines [form of leprosy].
The leaves and root pounded together dissolve hard
lumps, scrofulous tumours [glandular swelling], and
goitres. The juice poured in the ears ki lls worms in there.
The African caper (especially that which grows near the
people called M armaridae ) causes excessive gaseousness.
That in Apulia encourages vomiting, but that from the
Red Sea and Arabia is extremely sharp, raising pustules in
the mouth and eating up the gums to the bare bone,
therefore it is useless for eating. It is also called cynosbatos
(as we would say, dog's bush), capria, the apple of a crow,
ophioscorodon, or ophiostapllylen (i.e. snake's grape),
thallian, petraea, holophyton, ioniten, or otigocloron, aconitum,
hippomanes, or trichomanes. The Magi call it potera, some.
340
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Capparis erythrocarpa
from ENGLER-PRANTL — 1897
341
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
fco MalacocnTus minor,
j-’cijxvAnjenEraut.
342
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
peuteron ; it is also called the heart of a wolf, or
haloscorodon, the lily, or thlaspi. The Romans call it sinapi
Persicum, some, inturis, and the Africans, herbiaeathum.
2-205. LEPIDION
SUGGESTED: Lepidium lati folium [Bauhin, Linnaeus]
— Dittander, Pepperwort, Green Mustard
Lepidium campestre, Thlaspi campestre— Pepperwort
L epidium (also called gingidium ) is a well-known little
herb that is preserved in brine with milk. The leaves
are sharp and ulcerating. Pounded into small pieces with
root of elecampane and applied for a quarter of an hour,
it is a most effective plaster for sciatica. It is also good in
the same way for the spleen and it takes away leprosy.
The root is thought to take away toothache, hung around
the neck.
2-206. BATRACHION, BATRACHION
ETERON, BATRACHION TRITON,
BATRACHION TETARTON
suggested: Batrachio [Italian], Ran unculis acris — Buttercup,
Crowfoot, Blister Plant, Asiatic Crowfoot, Persian Buttercup,
Ranunculus asiaticus — Turban
R anunculus arvensis — Corn Crowfoot, Corn Buttercup
Apium sylvestre, Agresteapium, Sderata [Fuchs],
Ranunculus pa/ustris [Bauhin] , Ranunculus aquati cu s,
R anunculus scleratus, R anunculus aquati lius
— Water Crowfoot, Water Anemone
ALL POISONOUS
T here are many kinds of batrachium (also called apium
agreste), but their strength is the same — sharp and
very ulcerating. One of them has leaves similar to those of
coriander, yet broader and somewhat white and fat. The
flower is a yellowish colour and sometimes purple. The
stalk is not thick, in height about a foot. It has a bitter little
root, with little fibrous strings growing out (like that of
hellebore). It grows near rivers or running water. The
other kind is more downy and longer-stalked, with more
in-cuttings on the leaves, and is extremely sharp. It grows
343
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
abundantly in Sardinia where they call it apium agreste.
There is a third very small kind with a hard taste and a
flower like gold, and a fourth (similar to this) with a
flower the colour of milk. The leaves and the tender stalks
(rubbed on) are ulcerating and scab forming, with pain.
As a result, applied for only a little time, they take away
scabby nails and parasitic skin diseases; and they remove
marks, as well as taking away abscesses, hanging warts,
and alopecia [baldness]. A lukewarm boiled decoction of it
is a suitable warm pack for those troubled with chilblains.
The dried root pounded into small pieces and applied to
the nostrils causes sneezing. Applied to teeth it eases
toothache but breaks the teeth.
2-207. ANEMONE
Anemonealba
after FAGUET - 1888
suggested: Anemone sylvestris [Fuchs ] r Anemone pulsillata
[Linnaeus], Pulsatilla vulgaris — Pasque Flower [Mabberley]
Anemone pavonina, Anemone hortensis — Garden Anemone
POISONOUS
A nemone has two types — one wild, the other
cultivated. Of the cultivated some bear flowers in a
Phoenician [red] colour, others of a pale, milky or purple
colour. The leaves are similar to coriander but less
ragged, next to the ground. The little stalks are downy,
thin, on which are flowers like poppies with the heads in
the middle black or azure [blue]. The root is the size of
that of the olive or bigger. The wild is altogether bigger
than the cultivated, broader and harder in the leaves, and
it has a longer head. The flower is a Phoenician [red]
colour; there are many small little roots; and there is one
kind that has black leaves and is sharper. They are both
sharp; as a result the juice of the root poured into the
nostrils helps in purging the head. The chewed root
extracts mucus. Boiled in passu m [raisin wine] and
applied it cures inflammation of the eyes, and mends
scars in the eyes and moisture in the eyes; and it cleans
the filthiness of ulcers. The leaves and stalks boiled
together with barley water (and eaten) draw out mi l k
[breastfeeding]. In a pessary it encourages the menstrual
flow. Rubbed on it takes away leprosy.
344
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Cynara scolymus
from ENGLER-PRANTL — 1897
345
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
Cochlearia armor ad a
after FAGUET— 1887
346
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Some, not being able to distinguish between that
which is called argemone and the papaver rhoeas [4-64] (of
which we will speak when we come to discussion of
poppies) from the wild anemone, because of the
similarity of the colour of the flowers which are a
Phoenician colour [red], are deceived calling argemone
'eupatorium' [4-41], Yet the Phoenician [red] colour of the
argemone is somewhat less deep, as well as that of the
rhoeas, and both it and argemone flower later. The argemone
yields juice of a saffron colour that is extremely sharp to
the taste, but the rhoeas has a whiter, sharp juice. Both of
them have little heads between (similar to the wild
poppy), but those of argemone are somewhat broader at
the top, and those of rhoeas somewhat narrower.
Anemones neither give out juice nor have they a head or
cup, but (as it were) a top like asparagus, and they grow
them for the most part in fields.
It is also called wild anemone, black anemone, purple
anemone, anemion, meconium, tragoceros, gesparine, or
barbyle. Osthenes calls itberylius, Ornios calls it ceranios,
Pythagoras calls it atractylis, the Magi, cnicus agrestis, the
Romans, orci tunica, and the Africans, chuff is.
2-208. ARGEMONE
suggested: Papaver argemone, Papaver hybridum
— Pale Poppy, Wind Rose, Rough Poppy, Cock's Head,
Sand Poppy
A rgemone is very like the wild poppy. It has a divided
leaf similar to anemone, a flower on the stalk a
Phoenician [red] colour, with a head similar to papaver
rhoeas [4-64] but somewhat longer and broad towards the
upper parts, and a round root. It yields sharp juice of a
saffron colour. The leaves applied as a poultice take away
argemae [small white ulcers on the cornea] and small
clouds in the eye, and lessen inflammation. Crateuas the
herbalist says (to the same intent) that this herb
argemone pounded together with swines' grease
dissolves scrofulous tumours [glandular swelling,
goitres]. It is good for white leprosy dried, pounded with
saltpetre [potassium nitrate] and sulphur that has not felt
fire, and sifted. It cures those who use it (rubbed on dry
first) in a bath. It is also effective against scab [itchy
347
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
parasitical skin diseases]. It is also called oenone, an them is
arvensis, or homonoia, (as we should say) concord, or f/os
campestris; the Romans call it liburnia, or con cordial is, and it
is also called pergalia; the Gauls call it corn a.
2-208a. ARGEMONE
suggested: Papaver armenaicum, Papaver caucasicum,
Papaver floribundum, Papaver orientate — Poppy species
T he other argemone is like wild poppy in the leaves.
Pounded into small pieces (while still green) and
applied, it is able to cure cuts and lessen inflammation of
the eyes. It is good (taken in a drink with water) for
dysentery. It seals wounds and is good applied to
inflammation. Similarly applied it cures convulsions and
twitching. It is good (taken in a drink of wine) for those
bitten by poisonous beasts. It is also called artemone,
arselam, or sarcocolla; the Romans call it artemonia.
2-209. ANAGALLIS, KORKOROS
suggested: Anagallis mas [Fuchs], Anagallis arvensis
[Linnaeus], A nagallis phoenecea, A nagallis repens,
Lysimachia adoensis — Scarlet Pimpernel,
Poor Man's Weather Glass
A nagallis foemina [Fuchs, Linnaeus], A nagallis coerulea
— Blue Pimpernel
POISONOUS — CAUSES ANAEMIA AND DERMATITIS
[other usage] Korkoros, Corchoris olitorius — Corchorus
T here are two kinds of anagallis, differing in the flower,
for that which has an azure [blue] flower is called the
female, but that of a Phoenician [red] colour is called the
male. They are little shrubs spreading on the ground,
with small leaves on their four-cornered little stalks,
somewhat round, similar to those of helxine [4-39, 4-86],
with round fruit. They are both lessening in strength,
drive away inflammation, extract [draw out] splinters or
thorns that were run into the body, and repress
gangrenous ulcers. The juice gargled purges the head of
mucus, and poured into the nostrils it stops toothache. It
is put in the opposing nostril to the sore tooth. With Attic
348
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
171 Laftuca fylucftris,
tPifoer Jlixtrid).
l/ VS3iK.
Lactucasylvestris
from FUCHS — 1545
349
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
Veronica mas*
j me? ile*
350
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
[Athenian] honey it mends argemae [small white ulcers on
the cornea] and helps moisture of the eyes. It is good
(taken as a drink with wine) for those bitten by vipers, as
well as for kidney and liver ailments, and for dropsy, but
some say that if the anagallis which has the azure [blue]
flower is applied it stops prolapse of the perineum, and
that which has the Phoenician [red] flower encourages it.
Some call it punicea, others, aeritis, aegitis, or sauritis,
the Magi call it oculi sanguis, others, chdidonion, the
Romans, macia, the Etruscans, masitipos, the Gauls, sapana,
the Dacians, cerceraphron . The common anagallis some call
corchoros, halicacabus, or zeliauros , the Magi, nycteritis , the
Egyptians call it micij, the Romans, meciato, and the
Africans, asirrhizi.
2-210. KISSOS
suggested: H edera nigra, H edera helix [Fuchs, Linnaeus]
— Common Ivy
also: H edera helix poetica, H edera helix vegeta
[other usage] Cissus quadrangularis, Vitis quadrangularis
— Edible Stemmed Vine
Cissus digitata — Wild Grape, Sorrel Vine
/ SSL/ S has many differences (according to the type)
V-^but there are three most particular kinds, for some is
white, some black and another helix [spiralled]. The
white therefore bears a white fruit, the black a black one
or sometimes a saffron colour (which the vulgar sort also
call dionysium ), but the helix [spiralled] is without fruit
and has white branches and thin leaves, is full of corners
and red. All cissus is sharp and astringent and touches the
sinewy parts. The flowers (as much as one can take up of
them with three fingers) taken in a drink of wine are
good for dysentery, but it must be taken in a drink twice a
day. The same amount (pounded into small pieces with
waxy ointments) are good for burns. The tender leaves
boiled with vinegar (or the raw ones pounded together
with bread) heal the spleen. The juice from the leaves and
berries with irinum [1-66], honey, or saltpetre [potassium
nitrate] is poured into the nostrils and is good for old
sores on the head. The head is moistened with this juice
(with vinegar and rosaceum) [1-53], and with oil it cures
sore, purulent ears. The juice and clusters [of fruit] (taken
as a drink) cause sterility, and taken in too great an
351
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
amount trouble the mind. Five berries from a cluster of
berries (pounded fine, warmed with rosaceum in a
pomegranate skin) dropped into the opposite ear during
toothache lessen the pain. The clusters of berries dye the
hair black.
The leaves (boiled as previously mentioned) are laid
as a poultice on any sort of ulcer; and applied as poultices
cure sunburn and very bad burns. The clusters of berries
(pounded fine and given as a pessary) induce the
menstrual flow. A teaspoonful taken as a drink after
womens' cleansing hinders conception. The stalks of the
leaves moistened with honey and put into the vulva
expel the menstrual flow and are an abortifacient. The
juice (dropped in) purges away the stinking smell in the
nostrils and their rotten ulcers. The oozing of cissus
removes hair [depilatory], and rubbed on it kills lice. The
juice from the roots (taken as a drink with vinegar) helps
those bitten by harvest spiders. It is also called cittaros,
cissaros, chrysocarpos, poetica, corymbias, or cussion, (as we
would say, hederula ), dionysia, (a sort of bacchicei ),
ithutherion, persis, cemos, or asplenos; the Romans call it
silvae mater, some, hedera, and the Gauls, su bites.
2-211. CHELIDONION
SUGGESTED: Chelidonium majus [Fuchs, Bauhin, Linnaeus]
— Swallow Wort, Greater Celandine
C helidonia the greater sends out a slender stalk the
height of a foot or more with branches full of leaves.
The leaves are similar to those of ranunculus, yet those of
chelidonia are more tender, somewhat a sky blue colour,
and by every leaf there is a flower like leucoion [3-138].
The juice is a saffron colour — sharp, biting, a little bitter,
and with a strong smell. The root is single at the upper
end but divided lower down, and a saffron colour. The
fruit is like horned poppy — slender, long like a cone —
in which are little seeds, bigger however than those of
poppy. The juice of this (mixed with honey and boiled in
a brass jar over coals) is good for sharpening the sight
[eyes]. The leaves, root and fruit are juiced when they
emerge in summer. This juice is dried in the shade and
made into little balls. The root cures jaundice, taken in a
drink with an i sum [3-65] and white wine; and also
352
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
*88 Ifatisfariua.
'Seymifi^Weybt,
353
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
Ifatfs fvlueftns*
354
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
applied with wine for herpes [viral skin infection]. It
lessens toothache if chewed. It seems to be called
chelidonia because it springs out of the ground together
with the swallows' appearance and withers with them
departing. Some have related that if any of the swallows'
young ones is blind, the female parents bring this herb to
heal it. It is also called paeon i a, crataea , aoubios, glaucios,
pandionis radix, philomedion, or othonion ; the Romans call it
fabium, the Gauls, thona, the Egyptians, mothoth, and the
Dacians, crustane.
2 - 212 . CHELIDONION MIKRON
suggested: Chelidonium minus, Scrofularia [Fuchs]
M alacocissus minor [Brunfels], Chelidonia rotundifolia minor
[Bauhin], Ranunculus ficaria [Linnaeus] — Celadine
helidonia minor (which some have called sylvestre
K^triticum) is a little herb full of little feet, without a
stalk (compact), with leaves similar to GSSUS [2-210], yet
much rounder, smaller, tender and somewhat fat. It has
many small roots from a single place, growing close
together like wheat grains, but there are three or four
which grow out long. It grows around waters and
marshy places. It is sharp like anemone, ulcerating to the
outside of the skin. It takes away parasitic skin diseases
and scabbed nails. The juiced roots are put into the
nostrils with honey for purging the head. Similarly a
decoction of it gargled with honey powerfully purges the
head, and purges all things out of the chest.
2-213. OTHONNA
SUGGESTED: 0 thonna — African Ragwort
0 thonna cheiri folia — Barbary Ragwort
The plant of the ancients can have had little affinity with that of the moderns
[Loudon],
S ome say othonn a is the juice of chelidonia major, some of
giaucium, some say that it is the juice of the flowers of
horned poppy, some that it is a mixture of the juices of
anagallis coerulea [2-209], hyoscyamus [4-69] and poppy,
and some say that it is the juice of a certain primitive herb
called othonn a, and that it grows in the part of Arabia that
355
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
lies towards Egypt. It has only a few leaves (like eruca
[2-170]) full of holes as though they were wormeaten, ill-
favoured or mouldy. It bears a broad-petalled saffron-
coloured flower, as a result some think it to be a kind of
anemone. It is juiced and put into eye medicines for
when there is need of cleansing the eyes; it has a biting
nature and removes all things that darken the pupils
whatsoever. Some say that there is a certain kind of fluid
that flows from the herb, which, washing and removing
the stones from it, they make into lozenges for the same
use. Some say that othonna is an Egyptian stone found in
Thebais — the colour of brass, small in size, biting to the
taste, with a certain kind of burning and astringency.
2-214. MUOS OTON
suggested: A Isinem ai or [Fuchs], A Isinemedi a [Bauhin,
Linnaeus], Stellara media [in Sprague] — Stitchwort,
Chickweed, Starwort [Mabberley]
[other usage] M yosotis arvensis — Field Forget-me-not,
Mouse Ear
M yosotis aipestris — Myosotis, Forget-me-not
see 4-87
M uris auriculae (also called myosotis ) sends out many
hollow stalks of a somewhat reddish colour
(toward the lower end) from one root. The leaves are
somewhat long and narrow with the backbone of them
standing out, a blackish colour, growing up by distances,
two and two, ending in a sharp point. Thinner little stalks
grow out of the wings, on which are little flowers of a sky-
blue colour, small like those of anagallis [2-209]. The root is
the thickness of a finger with many hairy strings. The root
of this (applied) heals ulcers in the inner angle of the eye.
Finally, the herb is similar to scolopendrium [3-121] yet
smoother and smaller. Some also call it a/s/ne, myoton,
anthyllion, myortochon, or myrtosplenon; the Romans call it
muris auricula, and the Africans, labatholabat.
356
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
8 Anagalh'smas*
<S5auc$jeyf romnU.
Anagallis mas
from FUCHS — 1545
357
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
Anagalh's fcemma, s>
(Sautf l;eyl tceible.
&■
358
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
2-215. ISATIS EMEROS
suggested: / satis sativa [Fuchs], / satis tinctoria var sativa
[Linnaeus], Pastel, Glastum — Woad, Ash of Jerusalem,
Dyer's Weed
cultivated, POISONOUS — fermented leaves produce indigo blue dye
I satis sativa (which the dyers use) has a leaf like plantain
but fatter and darker, and a stalk over two feet high.
The leaves (applied) are able to dissolve any oedema or
tumour, heal bloody wounds, stop bleeding, and cure
spreading ulcers, herpes [viral skin infection] and rotten
ulcers. It is also called augion, or egne, the Magi call it
arusium , and the Romans, ruta.
2-216. ISATIS AGRIA
suggested: Isatis sylvestris [Fuchs], I satis tinctoria var vulgaris
[Linnaeus], Isatis campestris — Field Woad
I satis sylvestris is similar to that mentioned above but it
has bigger leaves nearly the size of those of lettuce, and
slender somewhat reddish stalks with many slits. On the
top hang many little pods similar to tongues in which is
the seed, and a thin flower of a yellowish colour. It is
similar in effectiveness to that spoken of before, and is
also good for the splenetic, taken as a drink and also
applied. It is also called egneparva ; the Romans call it ruta
minor.
(It is to be understood that these descriptions of isatis
contain that which is erroneous, for the cultivated bears
both a yellowish flower and more slender and much
divided branches and little pods on the top, like tongues
in which are the seeds, but there is contained in these a
black seed similar to melanthium [3-93], and it bears a stalk
over two feet high and not only over one foot high. But
the wild sort bears blacker leaves than this, a lower,
thicker stalk, a flower of a purple or azure [blue] colour
and the fruit like a cross, sharp, in which are the seed,
separated or distinguished in a way by five little leaves
apiece and those equal. — G oodyer )
359
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
2-217. TELEPHION
suggested: Telephium album, Tdephium purpurascens [Fuchs]
Acetabulum alter urn album, Acetabulum alterum purpureum
[Brunfels], Sedum telephium [Linnaeus], Sedum vulgare,
Sedum purpureum, Tdefio [Italian] — Orpine, Livelong,
Midsummer Men
T elephium is similar to andrachne [2-150] both in the
leaves and stalk, with two wings sticking from every
knot of the leaves; six or seven small branches from the
root, full of azure-coloured [blue] leaves — thick, tough
and fleshy; the flowers a yellowish or whitish colour. It
grows in the springtime in vineyards and clay or shale
places. The leaves applied for six hours cure white
leprosy, but after this you must use barley meal. Rubbed
on with vinegar in the sun they take away vitiligines
[type of leprosy], but after they have dried they must be
wiped off. Some call it sempervivum sylvestre, and some
call it portulaca sylvestris, the Romans call it illecebra, the
Egyptians, anoth, and the Africans, atirtopuris.
Chdidonium majus
after FAGUET — 1888
360
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
90 Tertia ranunculi lutei apud
D/ofc^fpecics*.
(Bed
A
361
HERBS WITH A SHARP QUALITY
Ranunculi quartaapudDio- 91
fcoridem fpecies la etc a.
tPdfj (ppalbtfyenlt.
362
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
BOOK THREE: ROOTS
I n the previous books, most loving Areius, we have
talked of spices, ointments, oils, trees and their fruits,
of lacrymae [resins], as well as living creatures, grains,
vegetables, and herbs possessing sharpness; but in this
the third book we will set out an account of roots, juices,
herbs, and seeds — suitable both for common use and for
medications.
3-1. AGARICON
suggested: Fomes officinalis, Polyphorus officinalis,
Boletus purgans, Polyphorus igniarius, Boletus laricis,
U ngulina officinalis — Agaric
[other usage] A garicus aurantiacus — Orange Mushroom
A garicus campestris — Common Mushroom
A garicum is said to be a root similar to silphium [3-94],
not thick on the outside like silphium, but all thin.
Some of it is male and some female, of which the female
excels, having straight veins within, but the male is round
and grows the same on all sides. In taste both are the
same, tasting sweet indeed at first; after dissolving it
grows bitter. It grows in Agaria in the Sarmatian
(country). Some say it is the root of a tree, some that it
grows in the stocks of trees that are rotten, like
mushrooms. It also grows in Galatia in Asia, and in Cilicia
on the cedars but this is brittle and weak. As for the
properties of it: it is astringent and warming, good for
griping, indigestion, hernias, and falls from on high.
Twenty grains is given with honeyed wine to those not
feverish, but it is given in honey and water to the
feverish. For liver ailments, asthma, jaundice, dysentery,
nephritis, dysuria, womb constriction, and sickly looks a
teaspoonful is given. To those with tuberculosis of the
lungs it is given with passu m [raisin wine]; and to the
splenetic with vinegar and honey. For gastritis it is given
as it is, chewed and swallowed down without moisture
poured on it. In a similar way it is given for acidic
vomiting. Thirty grains (taken with water) stops the
363
BOOK THREE: ROOTS
throwing-up of blood. An equal amount (taken with
vinegar and honey) is good for sore hips, sore joints, and
epilepsy. It encourages the menstrual flow, and the same
weight is effectively given to women with a suffocated
womb. It dissolves shivering, given before a fever fit. A
teaspoonful or two (taken as a drink with honey and
water) purges the bowels. It is an antidote for poison
taken with one teaspoonful of diluted wine; and thirty
grains (taken as a drink with wine) helps the strikes and
bites of snakes. Finally, it is good for all internal disorders,
given according to strength and age — to some with
water, to others with wine, and to others with vinegar
and honey, or honey and water.
3-2. RA
suggested: Rabarabo [Italian], Rheum officinale
— Wild Rhubarb
Rheum rhaponticum — Rhapontic, Pie Rhubarb,
Garden Rhubarb
the leaves are POISONOUS
R ha grows in places beyond the Bosporus, from where
it is brought. The root is outwardly black, similar to
centaury the larger, yet smaller and redder within. It is
without smell, loose, somewhat light, but the best is not
wormeaten, and is slimy to the taste with a weak
astringency. Chewed, it is pale and somewhat similar to
saffron in colour.
It is good (taken in a drink) for gaseousness, weakness
of the stomach, all types of suffering, convulsions, spleen,
liver ailments, inflammation in the kidneys, griping and
disorders of the bladder and chest, matters related to
hypochondria [indigestion with nervous disorder],
afflictions around the womb, sciatica, spitting up blood,
asthma, rickets, dysentery, abdominal cavity afflictions,
flows of fevers, and bites from poisonous beasts. You
must give it as you do agaric [above] for every disorder —
allowing the same amounts with liquids, using it with
honeyed wine to those not feverish, but to the feverish
give it with honey and water; for tuberculosis with
passu m [raisin wine]; to the splenetic with vinegar and
honey; for gastritis chewed as it is and swallowed down
(no moisture taken with it). It takes away bruises and
364
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Gentiafta*
<£nt$ian.
m
365
BOOK THREE: ROOTS
So3 Chameleon albus,
igberrotirtj.
366
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
lichen [papular skin disease] rubbed on with vinegar, and
it dissipates obstinate inflammations applied with water.
The chief strength of it is astringency with some heating.
It is also called rid, the Romans call it rha ponticum, and it is
also called reon.
3-3. GENTIANE
suggested: Gentiana [Fuchs], Gentiana lutea [Linnaeus],
Asterias lutea, Sweertia lutea — Yellow Gentian
most bitter plant material known
G entiana seems indeed first to have been found by
Gentius the king of the Illyrians from whom it took
its surname. The leaves are similar to carya [1-178] or
plantain at the root, somewhat reddish, but those on the
middle stalk and especially those around the top are a
little jagged. The stalk is empty, smooth, the thickness of
a finger, two feet high, divided by joints, surrounded
with leaves at bigger distances; and with broad fruit in
cups, light, chaffed, like sphondylium [3-90]. The long root
is similar to aristolochia [3-4, 3-5, 3-6] — longer, thick and
bitter. It grows on the highest peaks of mountains and in
shady watery places. Two teaspoonfuls of the root are
warming and astringent, and (taken as a drink with
pepper, rice and wine) it helps those bitten by venomous
creatures. A teaspoonful of extracted juice is good for
disorders of the sides, falls from heights, hernia, and
convulsions. It also helps liver ailments and gastritis
taken as a drink with water. The root — especially the
juice — applied as a suppository, is an abortifacient. It is a
wound herb applied like lycium [1-132], a medicine for
deep ulcers, and an ointment for inflamed eyes. The juice
is mixed into the sharper sort of eye salves or
suppositories in place of meconium [4-65]. The root cleans
vitiligines [form of leprosy]. It is juiced by being bruised
and steeped in water for five days, then afterwards boiled
in the water until the roots appear on top. When the
water is cold it is strained through a linen cloth, boiled
until it becomes like honey in consistency, and stored in a
ceramic jar. It is also called centaurea radix, aloe gallica,
narce, or chironium, the Trojans call it aloitis, the Romans,
gentiana, others, cicendia, or cyminalis.
367
BOOK THREE: ROOTS
3-4. ARISTOLOCHIA STROGGOLE
suggested: Pistolochia [Fuchs], Fumaria bulbosa [Bauhin,
Linnaeus], Corydalis cava [in Sprague] — Fumitory
A ristolochia is called this because it is thought to help
women in childbirth exceedingly well. The round
type is called female; it has leaves similar to cissus —
sweet smelling, with sharpness, somewhat round,
tender, with many shoots on one root. The branches are
very long, the white flowers are similar to little hats, and
the red (part) in them has a bad scent.
3-5. ARISTOLOCHIA MAKRA
SUGGESTED: A ristolochia pistolochia — Birthwort
POISONOUS
T he long aristolochia is called male and dactylitis, with
leaves somewhat longer than the round aristolochia,
slender branches of about twenty centimetres length,
and purple flowers with a bad scent. These, withering,
become similar to a pear. The root of the round aristolochia
is like a turnip, but the root of the long kind is the
thickness of a finger, being twenty centimetres long or
more. Both of them are mostly of wood colour, bitter to
taste, and poisonous. It is also called melocarpum, or
teuxinon, and the Romans call it herba aristolochia.
3-6. ARISTOLOCHIA KLEMATITIS
suggested: A ristolochia rotunda [Fuchs], A ristolochia longa
[Fuchs, Brunfels], Aristolochia clematitis [Linnaeus, Bauhin]
— Round Aristoloch, Apple of Earth, Common Birthwort
POISONOUS
T here is also a third long type which is called clematitis,
with slender branches full of somewhat long leaves
similar to the smaller sempervivum [4-89, 4-90, 4-91]. The
flowers are similar to rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98], bright yellow,
in a terminal flattened inflorescence. The roots are longer,
slender, with a thick bark and an aromatic smell. The
ointment makers use them effectively for thickening
368
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
369
BOOK THREE: ROOTS
Ariftoloch/arotundautilgaris, 51
=0o!wur^.
370
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
ointments. One teaspoonful of the round one (taken in a
drink with wine, and also applied) is indeed good for
poisons, but the long one is given for poisons of snakes
and deadly poisons. Taken in a drink with pepper and
myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] it puts out all remaining bodily
wastes and the menstrual flow, and is an abortifacient.
Applied in a pessary it does the same, and the round is
effective for the things we have mentioned. Moreover,
taken as a drink with water, it helps asthma, rickets,
chills, the spleen, hernias, convulsions, and pains of the
side. Applied, it extracts splinters and prickles, and takes
off scales on bones. With iris and honey it emarginates
[removes the edge of] rotten ulcers, and cleans foul ulcers
and fills up their hollows. It also cleans gums and teeth. It
is thought that all dematitis is good for these things. Yet
this has less strength than those previously mentioned. It
grows in mountainous or warm, level places or else in
rough, rocky places. It is good for a serious fever, only let
the one with the fever inhale the smoke over coals and
the fever will stop. Applied, it heals wounds. With the
seed of dracunculus [2-196b] and honey it helps
malignancies in the nostrils. Boiled with oil or swine
grease and rubbed on it cures chills. (Crateuas the
Herbalist and Gallus have said the same and that it is
good for the gouty). It is called arariza, melecaprum, ephesia,
testitis, pyxionyx, dardanus, or iontitis by some. The Gauls
call it theximon, the Egyptians, sophoeth, the Sicilians,
chamaemelum, the Italians, terrae malum , and the Dacians
call it absinthium rusticum.
3-7. GLUKORIZA
suggested: Glycyrrhiza, Liquortia [Fuchs],
Glycyrrhiza glabra [Linnaeus], Glycyrrhiza laevis,
L iquortia officinalis — Liquorice Plant
G lycyrrhiza grows abundantly in Cappadocia and
Pontus. It is a little shrub, the branches two feet
high, around which the leaves grow thickly like lentiscum
[1-90], thick and clammy to the touch. The flower is
similar to hyacinth; the fruit, the size of the berries of the
plane tree but sharper, with pods like lentil, red and
small. The roots are long, the colour of wood, similar to
those of gentian, somewhat bitter and sweetish. They are
371
BOOK THREE: ROOTS
juiced like lycium [1-132], This juice is good for sharpness
of the arteries but it must be put under the tongue to let it
melt. It is good similarly for burning of the stomach,
disorders in the chest and liver, parasitic skin diseases,
and bladder or kidney disorders. Taken with a drink of
passu m [raisin wine] and melted in the mouth it quenches
thirst. Rubbed on, it heals wounds; and chewed, it is good
for the stomach. A decoction of the new roots is good for
the same things. The dry root pounded into small pieces
is fit for sprinkling on pterygium [membrane on eye]. It is
also called pontica, glyceraton, symphyton, leontica,
glycyphyton , scythion, adipson, sylithra, libthestaso,
homoenomoea, or peenthaomoeos , and the Latins call it dulcis
radix.
Centaurea cyan us
after WINKLER — 1891
3-8. KENTAURION MAKRON
suggested: Cyanus, Flos frumentorum [Fuchs],
Cyanus syivestris [Brunfels], Cyanus segetum [Bauhin],
Centaurea cyanus [Linnaeus] — Bachelor's Button
C entaury the great has leaves similar to the carya
[1-178], somewhat long, green in colour (like those
of brassica ), the circumference of them cut-in like a saw. It
has a of stalk two or three feet high like iapathum [2-140]
with many shoots from the root. On top are heads like
poppy somewhat large in circumference. The flowers are
azure [blue], and the seed similar to cnicus [4-119, 4-190]
(laid as it were) in downy flowers. The root is thick,
sound, heavy, about two feet long, full of juice, sharp,
with a certain astringency and sweetness, inclining to
red. It loves a rich soil open to the sun, woods and
hillocks. It is abundant in Lycia, Peloponesse, Helis,
Arcadia, Messenia, Pholoe, Lycia, and around Smyrna.
The root is good with wine for hernia, convulsions,
pleurisy, difficulty with breathing, old coughs,
bloodspitters and those without fevers. For the feverish,
two teaspoonfuls of the root is given, pounded into small
pieces with water. Similarly it is given for griping and
sores of the vulva. It expels the menstrual flow and is an
abortifacient, shaved into the form of a suppository and
applied to the vulva. The juice does the same things.
Pounded whilst moist, it is good for wounds. When dry it
is first steeped and then pounded. It draws together.
372
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Spina incognita* i°»
373
BOOK THREE: ROOTS
s°
An'ftolodiia Tonga,
£?ohvt’rn.
A ristolochia longa
from FUCHS — 1545
374
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
heals, and joins together flesh that is pale and flaccid, if
you pound it and boil it. In Lycia they juice it and use it
like lycium [1-132], It is called panacea [heal-all] because it
soothes all sores from inflammation and strong blows.
Used in suppositories it soothes slow and painful
urination, and helps those with stones [kidney, urinary].
It is gathered when the sun is about to rise, in a clear
season, when everything is at its peak.
It is also called narce, limnesion, marone, pelethronion,
chironias or limnestis, the Magi call it blood of Hercules;
the Romans call it ferum, uvifera, or fel terrae.
3-9. KENTAURION MIKRON
suggested: Centaurium minus [Fuchs, Bauhin],
Centaurea verutum Erythraea centaurium,
Chironia centaurium, Gentiana centaurium [Linnaeus],
Centaurium erythraea — Lesser Centaury, Common Centaury,
Feverwort, Centaury, Earthgall, Dwarf Centaury
T he little centaury is a herb similar to hy peri cum [3-171]
or origanum, with a stalk over twenty centimetres
high that has corners. The flowers are similar to those of
lychnis [3-114, 3-115], a faint Phoenician [reddish] purple.
The leaves are small, very long, like rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98].
The seed is similar to wheat, the root small, miserable and
smooth. Pounded while still green and applied it seals
wounds, and purges old ulcers and brings them to a scar.
Boiled and swallowed down, it expels bile and thick
fluids through the bowels. A decoction of it is a fit
suppository for sciatica, drawing out blood and easing
pain. The juice is good for eye medicines with honey,
cleaning away things that darken the pupils. In a pessary
it extracts the menstrual flow and is an abortifacient.
Taken as a drink it is equally good for disorders of the
strength. The herb is juiced; first it is gathered when full
of seed and steeped in water for five days, afterwards it is
boiled until it floats above the water. Afterwards the
cooled herb is pressed and strained through a linen cloth,
and boiled again to the consistency of honey. Some beat it
(green and full of seed) then press out the juice and throw
it into an unglazed ceramic jar. They stir it about in the
sun, moving it continuously with a stick, and repeatedly
scraping away pieces that hang out. They mix it with
Centaurium minus.
SIcin jTaiifcntgul&m.
375
BOOK THREE: ROOTS
moist juice and cover it carefully at night, for dew
prevents the thickening of moist juices. Centaury is good
for inflammation and bruises from strikes, helps women
troubled with motherhood [pregnancy], and eases the
pain of slow, painful urination and [urinary] stones.
Gather the herb in the spring at sunrise.
Many of the dry roots or herbs that are juiced are
prepared by boiling (like gentian). Juices pressed out of
moist barks, roots, or herbs are stirred around in the sun
(as previously mentioned) — including thapsia [4-157],
man dr agora [mandrake], unripe grapes, and similar
things. Lycium [1-132], wormwood [3-26], hypocistis
[1-127] and herbs similar to these are boiled and stirred
around as previously mentioned.
Centaury is also called limnesion, helleborites, or
am ar an ton, the Magi call it the blood of Hercules, the
Romans, febrifuga, some, herba multiradix, the Dacians,
tut bet a; and it is also called / imnai on because it loves moist
places.
376
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or
PRICKLY PLANTS
3-10. CHAMAILEON LEUKOS
suggested: Chamaeleon albus [Fuchs, Brunfels],
Carlina caulescens [Bauhin], Carlina acaulis [Linnaeus]
— Stemless Carline Thistle
[other usage] Carlina gummifera, A tractylis gummifera
— White Chamoeleon
W hite chamaeleon is called /'x/'a because in some places
viscous matter is found at the roots of it which
women use instead of mastic [1-89, 1-90]. It has leaves
similar to silybum [4-159] or carduus nutans [musk thistle]
but rougher, sharper, and stronger than the black
chamaeleon [below]. It does not have a stalk but out of the
middle puts out a prickle similar to that of the sea urchin
or cinara. The flowers are a purple colour, like hairs, flying
away in down, with seed similar to cnicus [4-119, 4-190],
The root is thick in fertile hills but in the mountains it is
more slender, white at the bottom, somewhat aromatic,
with a strong sweet taste. An acetabulum [vinegar cruet] of
this (taken in a drink) expels broadworms. It is taken in
hard wine with a decoction of origanum. For dropsy a
teaspoonful is given with wine to ease them. A decoction
is taken in a drink for frequent painful urination. Taken
as a drink with wine it is an antidote to poison. Kneaded
with polenta then diluted with water and oil it kills dogs,
swine, and mice. It is also called chrysisceptrum, or ixia; the
Romans call it carduus nutans varius, the Egyptians, epher,
and some, epthosephim.
377
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-11. CHAMAILEON MELAS
suggested: Chamaeleon niger, Spina incognita [Fuchs],
Carduus sphaerocephaius [Bauhin ], Echinops sphaerocephalus
[Linnaeus] — Globe Thistle
[other usage] Cardopatium corymbosum,
Carthamus corymbosum, Brotera corymbosa
— Black Chamoeleon
B lack chamaeleon has leaves similar to scolymus
hispanicus, yet they are smaller, thinner and
distinguished with red. It sends out a stalk the thickness
of a finger, twenty centimetres high, somewhat red, with
a tuft and prickly flowers — small, similar to hyacinth,
variously-coloured. The root is thick, black, compact and
sometimes eaten-into. When cut it is a pale yellow, and is
biting when chewed. It grows in dry rocky grounds and
places bordering the sea. The root (pounded into small
pieces) is mixed with a little cobblers' ink, cedar oil and
swines' grease, and used to remove parasitic skin
diseases. It cleans away lichen [papular skin disease],
boiled with vinegar and rubbed on (with the addition of
sulphur and bitumen). It is used as a mouthwash, and a
decoction of it soothes toothache. Wrapped in same
amount of pepper and wax it helps pained teeth. Teeth
are preserved if it is boiled with vinegar and poured on
them. Conveyed warm through a quill [straw] it breaks a
sore tooth. It cleans away vitiligines [form of leprosy] and
sunburn, is mixed with ripening medicines, and applied,
heals spreading wild ulcers, destroying them. It is called
chamaeleon because of the various colours of the leaves.
For these vary, differing according to the place, often
green, pale, azure-coloured [blue], or red. It is also called
pancarpon, ulophonum, ixia, cynomachon, ocimoides, cnidium
coccum, or cynoxylon ; the Latins call it carduus nutans niger,
some, vernilago, and the Egyptians, sobel.
3-12. KROKODEILION
suggested: Carthamus lanatus, Centaurea crocodylium
— Blush-flowered Centaury
C rocodilium is similar to black chamaeleon [above] but it
grows in woody places. It has a long root — light.
378
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
somewhat broad, with a sharp smell, like nasturtium
[2-185]. The root warmed in water and taken as a drink is
able to drive out quantities blood through the nostrils. It
is given to the splenetic evidently helping them. The seed
of it (round and double like a buckler [shield]) is diuretic.
3-13. DIPSAKON
suggested: D ipsacus albus, Cardo fullonum,
Carduus fullonius [Fuchs], D ipsacus sativus [Bauhin],
D ipsacus fullonum — Fullers' Teazle, Draper’s Teazle
D ipsacus sylvestris — Wild Teazle, Shepherd’s Rod,
Barber's Brushes
D ipsacus is also a prickly plant. It has a high stalk full
of prickles, with leaves enclosing the stalk similar to
lettuce, two at every knot, tall and prickly, having (as it
were) some prickly bladders on the middle of the back
both within and without, and hollow places around the
two (joining) parts of the leaves so that it gathers water
from the dew and showers (which is how it got its name).
On the top of the stalk at every shoot there is one head
similar to a hedgehog, somewhat long and prickly. Dried
it turns white, but the head (divided) has small worms
around the middle of the pith. The root of this (boiled
with wine and pounded until the thickness of a wax
ointment) is put in to heal cracks and fistulas in the
perineum. The medicine must be stored in a brass box.
They say that it is a cure for protruding and hanging
warts. The worms from the heads (bound up in a purse
and hanged around the neck or the arm) are said to cure
those who have fevers with recurrent paroxysms. It is
also called crocodilium, chamaeleon, or onocardium, some
call it the bath of Venus, the Romans call it the lip of
Venus, some, the thistle of Venus, the Egyptians, seseneor,
some, chir, or meleta, and the Dacians, sciare.
379
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-14. AKANTHA LEUKE
suggested: Spina alba sylvestris [Fuchs],
Onopordium acanthum [Linnaeus] — Cotton Thistle,
Scotch Thistle
A cant ha leuke grows on mountains and in woody
places. It has leaves similar to white chamadeon [3-10]
but narrower, whiter, somewhat rough and prickly. The
stalk is over two feet (high), the thickness of the great
finger or rather more, a pale white, empty within. On the
top of it there is a prickly head similar to a sea urchin, but
smaller and somewhat long. The flowers are purple, in
which is the seed like that of cnicus [4-119, 4-190] but
rounder. The root (taken in a drink) is good for
bloodspitters, gastritis, and the abdominal cavity, and it
encourages urine. It is laid on oedema, and a decoction of
this as a mouth rinse is good for toothache. The seed
(taken in a drink) helps convulsed children, and those
bitten by snakes. They say that worn as an amulet (by
itself) it drives away poisonous creatures. It is also called
wild cinara, donacitis, or erysisceptron, and the Romans call
it spina regia, or card u us.
3-15. AKANTHA ARABIKE
suggested: A can thus spinosus — Oyster Plant
A cant ha arabica seems similar in nature to the white
thistle — astringent, good for excessive [menstrual]
discharges of women, the throwing-up of blood and
other discharges — the root being similarly effective. It
grows in rough places. It is also called acanthi sa, while the
Romans call it spina.
380
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
Centaurea benedicta
after THIEBAULT — 1880
382
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-16. SKOLUMOS
suggested: Scolymus, Cinara, Articocalus [Fuchs],
Cinara hortensis [Bauhin], Cynara scolymus [Linnaeus]
— Artichoke
[other usage] Spotted Golden Thistle — Scolymus maculatus
Golden Thistle, Spanish Oyster Plant — Scolymus hispanicus
S colymus hispanicus has leaves like chamaeleon [3-10,
3-11], and the thorn is called white but is darker and
thicker. It puts out a long stalk full of leaves on which is a
prickly head. The root lies underneath — black, thick, its
strength good for those with a bad smell in the armpits
and the rest of the body [body odour] applied or boiled in
wine; and taken as a drink as it draws out much stinking
urine. The new growth of the herb boiled like asparagus
is eaten instead of a vegetable. It is also called ferula, or
pyracantha, the Romans call it strobylus, and the
Egyptians, chnus.
—
Carduus scolymus
after FAGUET — 1880
3-17. POTERION
suggested: Poterium officinale— Great Burnet
Poterium sanguisorba, Sanguisorba minor — Salad Burnet
A stragalus poterium, A stragaius arnacantha
— Small Goat's Thorn
P oterium is a large shrub with long branches — soft,
flexible like a bridle, thin, similar to tragacanth — the
leaves little, round. The whole shrub is surrounded with
a thin woolly down and is prickly; the flowers are small
and white. The seed (to one who tastes it) has a sweet
scent and is sharp with no use. It grows in sandy and hilly
countries. The roots are underneath, two or three feet
long, strong and sinewy. When cut close to the ground
they send out a fluid similar to gum. The roots (cut and
smeared on) heal cut-apart sinews and wounds, and a
decoction of it (taken as a drink) is good for disorders of
the strength. It is also called phrynion, or andidotum, and
the Ionians call it neurada.
383
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-18. AKANTHION
UNKNOWN
A canthi um has leaves similar to the white thorn
[above] with prickly abnormal growths, and on top
there is down similar to a spiders web. This is gathered
and made into one (or spun), and is similar to silk. The
roots and leaves of this (taken as a drink) help one
troubled with a painfully stiff neck.
3-19. AKANTHA ERPEKANTHA
suggested: A cantha vera, [Fuchs], A can thus sativus,
A canthus mollis [Bauhin, Linnaeus], A canthus spinosus,
— Bears Breeches
A cantha or her paean tha grows in gardens and moist
rocky places. It has far broader, longer leaves than
lettuce, divided like those of eruca [2-170], somewhat
dark, thick and smooth. It has a smooth stalk two feet
high, the thickness of a finger towards the top,
surrounded all around by distances with certain longish
little leaves (similar to little hives) of a hyacinth colour.
From these the white seed grows out, somewhat long,
yellowish, with a head similar to a thyrsus [wand]. The
roots underneath are viscous, mouldy, reddish and long.
Applied, they are good for burns and dislocations. Taken
in a drink they encourage urine and stop discharges of
the bowels. They are good for tuberculosis of the lungs,
hernia, and convulsions. It is also called me/amphyllon ,
pasderota, acanthus topi aria, mamoiaria, or craepula.
3-20. AKANTHA AGRIA
SUGGESTED: A canthus spinosissimus — White-spined Akantha
T he Romans call acantha sylvestrisby the name of spina
agrestis. There is also a wild acantha , similar to carduus
nutans [musk thistle] — prickly, shorter than the garden
variety that is cultivated. The root of this affects as many
things as the previous one.
384
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
385
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
u3 D/pfacus purpureus#
Butm S<meitbiffeR
386
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-21. ANONIS
suggested: A nonis, R esta bovis, R emora aratri [Fuchs],
A nonis spinosa [Bauhin], Ononis spinosa [Linnaeus]
— Spiny Restharrow
A non is (also called ononis ) has branches twenty
centimetres long or more. It is shrubby, full of joints
with hollow wings, many round little heads, and small
little leaves, thin like the lentil, similar to those of rue
[3-52, 3-53, 4-98] or lotus. It grows in meadows and is
somewhat rough and sweet smelling, not smelling
unseemly. It is preserved in brine before the prickles
emerge, and it is very pleasant. The branches have sharp
strong prickles that are similar to arrowheads. There is a
white root that is warming and reduces the intensity of
symptoms. The bark of this (taken in a drink with wine)
removes skin, breaks up urinary stones, and emarginates
[removes the edge of] the scurf of ulcers. Boiled in posca
[hot drinks] and used as a mouth rinse it soothes
toothache, and a decoction of this (taken as a drink) is
thought to cure haemorrhoids.
3-22. LEUKAKANTHA
suggested: Chrysanthemum leucacanthemum, Leucanthemum,
[Bedevian] — Ox-eye Daisy, White Weed, Dog Daisy
L eucacan tha has a root that is similar to Cyprus [1-124] —
bitter and strong — which is chewed to lessen
toothache. Three cups of a decoction (taken as a drink
with wine) helps lung congestion that has lasted long,
sciatica, hernia, and convulsions. The juice from the root
(taken as a drink) does the same. It is also called
polygonatum , or phyllon, others call it ischias, the Romans
call it gniacardus, and the Thuscans, alba spina.
3-23. TRAGAKANTHE
suggested: 4 straga/us tragacantha — Gum Tragacanth Plant,
Goat's Thorn
T ragacantha has a root that is broad and woody
appearing above the earth. From this low strong
387
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
branches emerge, spreading out. On them are many
small thin leaves with prickles between hidden in the
leaves — white, strong, upright. There is also a
tragacanth gum adhering to the root when it is cut. The
best is transparent, smooth, slender, clean, and
somewhat sweet. It is able like [other] gums to close the
pores. It is used for eye medicines, coughs, roughness of
the arteries; and for dripping fluids in a linctus [syrup]
with honey. It melts when put under the tongue. A
teaspoonful steeped in passu m [raisin wine] is taken as a
drink for pain of the kidneys and erosion of the bladder.
Hart's horn that has been burned and washed (or a little
allom scissile [5-123]) is also mixed with it.
3-24. ERUNGION
suggested: Eryngium, Iringus [Fuchs], Eryngium vulgare
[Bauhin], Eryngium campestre [Linnaeus]
— Common Eryngo, Field Eryngo, Eryngium
E ryngium is one of the prickly plants. The new leaves
are stored in brine and eaten as vegetables. They are
broad and rough in the circumference, and aromatic to
the taste. Growing bigger they become prickly at the
furthest points of the stalks, on the tops of which are little
round heads surrounded with very sharp prickles like a
star, hard all around. The colour can be green, pale,
white, or sometimes azure [blue]. The root is long, broad,
black on the outside and white within, the thickness of a
big finger or thumb. It is sweet smelling and aromatic,
and grows in fields and rough places. It is able to warm,
and expels urine and the menstrual flow. Taken as a
drink it dissolves griping and gaseousness. It is good with
wine for liver complaints, those bitten by venomous
creatures, and as an antidote for those who have taken a
deadly drink. It is taken in a drink for the most part with
one teaspoonful of pastinaca [3-59] seed. It is said that
used as a personal ornament or rubbed on someone it
dissolves tubercles [growths]. The root (taken as a drink
with honey water) cures tetanus and epilepsy. It is also
called erynge, eryneris, caryon, gorginium, hermium,
origanum chi uni urn, myracanthum, or moly. The Egyptians
call it crobysus, the Magi, siserti, the Romans, capitulum
388
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Eryngt] fpccics*
^TUngtrew.
n, i . .jfJh/i. j
I G9
Eryngij
from FUCHS — 1545
389
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
}0
Acanthus uera*
£Oelfd> BcmHftW.
390
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
car du i, some, carter ae, the Dacians, sicupnoex, the
Spaniards, ciotocapeta, the Africans, cherdan, or herba
montana, and some, chida.
3-25. ALOE
SUGGESTED: A loe [Fuchs], A loe vulgaris [Bauhin],
Aloevera [Linnaeus] — Aloe
A loe has a leaf almost like squill — thick, fat,
somewhat broad near the stem, broken or
bow-backed behind, with short, thin prickles along the
sides. It sends out a stalk similar to anthericum [3-122], has
a white flower, and seed similar to asphodel US [2-199]. All
of it has a strong scent and is very bitter to the taste. It has
only one root like a stake. It grows abundantly and
thickly in India, and the extracted juice is brought from
there. It also grows in Arabia, Asia and certain sea-
bordering places and islands as in Andros. This type is
not good for extracting juice, but suitable for closing open
cuts, sores and wounds, pounded into small pieces and
applied. There is a thick kind of juice that is grainy, one of
which seems to have the purest substance, the other
similar to liver. Choose the pure that is undeceitful,
unstony, glittering, yellowish, brittle, like liver, easily
melted, and excels in bitterness. That which is black and
hard to break, refuse. They counterfeit it with gum —
which is noticed by the taste, the bitterness, the strength
of the smell, and because it does not fall into pieces (as
much as the smallest crumb) squeezed in the fingers.
Some mix acacia with it.
It is astringent, procures sleep, dries, thickens bodies,
loosens the intestines, and cleans the stomach, two
spoonfuls taken in a drink with cold water or warm milk.
This amount with thirty grains weight of water (or one
teaspoonful of a drink) stops the spitting of blood and
cleans jaundice. Swallowed with rosin (or taken either
with water or boiled honey) it loosens the bowels, but
three teaspoonfuls fully purges. Mixed with other
purging medicines it makes them less hurtful to the
stomach. Sprinkled on dry it heals wounds, and brings
boils to a scar and represses them. It effectively heals
ulcerated genitals, and heals the broken foreskin of boys.
Mixed with sweet wine it cures the joints and cracks in
391
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
the perineum. It stops discharges of blood from
haemorrhoids, brings pterygium [membrane on eye] to a
scar, and takes away bruises and low blood pressure with
honey. It soothes rough skin, itchiness of the eye corners,
and headaches, rubbed with vinegar and rosaceum [1-53]
on the forehead and the temples. With wine it stops the
hair falling off [alopecia]} and with honey and wine it is
good for the tonsils, as well as the gums and all sores in
the mouth. It is roasted for eye medicines in a clean,
red-hot ceramic jar, turned continuously until it is
roasted evenly. It is then washed, the sandy part
separated as useless, and the most fat and smooth taken.
It is also called amphibion, eryngium, herminum, or
tragoceros ; the Romans call it aloa, and the Barbarians, aloe.
3-26. APSINTHION
suggested: A bsinthium vulgare [Fuchs], Seriphium absinthium
[in Sprague], Artemisia absinthium [Linnaeus] — Wormwood
NARCOTIC
A bsinthium (also called bathypicron) is a well-known
herb, and the best grows in Pontus and Cappadocia
on the mountain called Taurus. It is warming, astringent
and digestive, and takes away bilious matter sticking in
the stomach and bowels. It is urinary, and keeps one from
overindulging taken as a drink beforehand. It is good
(taken as a drink with seseli [3-60 to 3-62] or Celtic nardus
[1-7]) for gaseousness and pains in the intestines and
stomach. Three cups of a dilution or decoction of it (taken
every day) heals lack of appetite and jaundice. Taken as a
drink and applied with honey it expels the menstrual
flow. It is good with vinegar for constrictions from
[eating] mushrooms. It is an antidote given with wine for
(the poison) of ixia [3-103] and hemlock, the bites of the
shrewmouse, and bites of the sea dragon [2-15]. With
honey and saltpetre [potassium nitrate] it is an ointment
for a synanchic [abscessed] throat; and with water for
pustules that appear at night. It is used for bruises with
honey, also for dullness of sight [eyes] and pus-filled ears.
The vapour of a decoction is used for earache and
toothache. Boiled with passum [raisin wine] it is a plaster
for very painful eyes. It is also applied to hypochondria
[nervous gastric disorder], the liver, a painful stomach.
392
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
393
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
4 8 ^ Hyfopus hortenfi's*
(Bar ten 3fpert #
394
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
and [those] who have suffered long pounded together
with Cyprian [possibly rose] wax ointment, but for the
stomach mix it with rosaceum [1-53]. It is good for dropsy
and the spleen mixed with figs, saltpetre [potassium
nitrate] and meal of lolium [2-116, 4-140].
Especially around Propontis and Thrace a wine is
made from it which is called absinthe, which they use in
the absence of fever for the purposes previously
mentioned. They drink to each other with it in the
summer thinking it to cause health. It seems that placed
in chests it keeps the garments uneaten [by moths].
Rubbed on with oil it forbids the mosquitos to touch the
body [insect repellant]. Ink for writing that is made by
steeping it keeps writings from being eaten by mice. It
seems that the juice does the same work. We do not allow
it in liquid medicines as it is bad for the stomach and
causes headaches. Some counterfeit the juice with boiled
amurca [sediment of buckthorn oil]. The Egyptians call it
somi, and the Romans, absinthium rusticum.
3-27. APSINTHION THALASSION
suggested : Artemisia maritima, Artemisia pauci flora
— Sea Wormwood, Garden Cypress, Sea Artemisia
A bsinthium marinum (also called seriphion ) grows
abundantly in the Taurus Mountains around
Cappadocia and in Taphosiris, Egypt. The Isiaci use it
instead of an olive branch. The herb has thin branches
similar to the small abrotanum [3-29] with abundant little
seeds, somewhat bitter, bad for the stomach, and with a
strong smell. It is astringent with some heating, and
boiled by itself (or with rice) and taken with honey it ki lls
ascaridae [threadworms] and roundworms, loosening the
bowels gently. It does the same things with sapa [new
wine syrup] or boiled together with lentils. Cattle grow
very fat feeding on it [fodder]. It is also called sandonion,
or seriphum ; the Romans call it santonicum.
395
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-28. APSINTHION TRITON
SANTONION
suggested: A rtemisia santonicum — Holy Wormwood
A rtemisia glacial is — Silky Wormwood, Glacier Wormwood
T here is a third kind of wormwood that grows
abundantly in Galatia (or rather Gallia) near the Alps,
which they call by the place's name — santonicum, giving
it this surname from its growing in the country of
Sardonis. It is similar to wormwood, not as seedy,
somewhat bitter, and able to do the same things as the
Seriphian [3-27],
3-29. ABROTONON
suggested: A brotonum foemina [Fuchs], A bsinthium ponticum
[Bauhin], A rtemisia pontica, A brotanum mas [Linnaeus],
A rtemisia abrotanum — Southernwood
T he female abrotanum is a tree-like shrub, somewhat
white, the leaves with little in-cuts (like those of
seriphium ) around the branches, with a golden corymbus
[flat or slightly convex inflorescence] on the top, full of
flowers that display in the summer, with a sweet smell,
and some strength, bitter in taste. This seems to be the
Sicilian. The other (called male) is full of sprigs, with
slender seeds like wormwood. It grows abundantly in
Cappadocia, and Galatia in Asia, and Hierapolis in Syria.
The seed of these (pounded raw, boiled, and taken in a
drink of water) helps difficult breathing, hernia,
convulsions, sciatica, difficult painful urination, and the
stoppage of the menstrual flow. Taken in a drink of wine
it is an antidote for deadly poisons. With oil it is an
ointment for those who have chills. It drives away snakes
scattered under [foot] or inhaled as smoke. Taken in a
drink of wine it helps those who are bitten. It is
particularly good for the strikes of the harvest spider and
scorpions. It helps inflammation of the eyes applied with
boiled quince or with bread. It dissolves pannus [opaque
thickening of cornea with veins; eyes] pounded into
small pieces and boiled with barley meal. It is also mixed
in the composition of oil irinum [1-66]. It is also called
abutonon, absinthium, heraclion, cholopoeon, thelyphthorion,
396
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Aloeumbellata
after FAGUET — 1888
397
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
i lo Pulegium fcemtna*
poley voeibk.
398
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
absinthiomenon, or procampylon. The Magi call it nervi
palmae, some, cynanchites and the Romans, absinthium
ponticum, and it is also called femineus frutex, and dulcis
cubitus.
3-30. USSOPOS
suggested: Hyssopus hortensis [Fuchs]
Hyssopus officinalis [Linnaeus] — Hyssop
Origanum syriacum — Hyssop of the Bible [Mabberley]
H yssopus (a well-known herb) is of two sorts — one
mountainous, the other grown in gardens. The best
grows in Cilicia. It is able to reduce the intensity of
symptoms and warms. Boiled with figs, water, honey
and rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98], and taken as a drink it helps
pneumonia, asthma, internal coughs, mucus, and
orthopnoea [type of asthma], and kill s worms. Licked
with honey it does the same. A decoction (taken as a
drink with vinegar and honey) expels thick fluids
through the bowels. It is eaten with green figs (pounded
into small pieces) for emptying the intestines, but it
purges more forcibly mixed with cardamom, iris, or irio
[ irinum ? 1-66]. It causes a good colour. It is daubed on
with figs and saltpetre [potassium nitrate] for the spleen
and dropsy, but with wine for inflammation. Applied
with warm water it dissolves bruises. With a decoction of
figs it is an excellent gargle for a synanchic [abscessed]
throat. Boiled with vinegar and used as a lotion it soothes
toothache. The smoke being inhaled, it dissolves
windiness around the ears. The Latins call it hyssopum, it
is also called later or cassiala, and the Egyptians call it
pesa/em.
3-31. STOICHAS
suggested: Stichas, Stichas arabica [Fuchs],
Stoechas purpurea [Bauhin], Lavandula stoechas
— French Lavender, Spanish Lavender
S toechas grows in the Islands of Galatia near Messalia
called the Stoechades, which is how it got its name. It
is a herb with slender twigs and filaments similar to
thyme, but longer-leaved, sharp to the taste, and
Lavandula stoechas
after WINKLER — 1891
399
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
somewhat bitter. A decoction of it (like hyssop [3-30]) is
good for disorders in the chest. It is useful mixed with
antidotes. It is also called syncliopa, alcibiades, pancration or
styphonia ; the Egyptians call it suphlo, the Magi, oculus
pythonis, the Romans, schiolebina.
3-32. ORIGANOS ERAKLEOTIKE
suggested: Origanum heracleoticum [Loudon]
— Winter-sweet Marjoram
O riganum heracleoticum (also called coni I a) has a leaf
similar to hyssop [3-30], and a tuft not of a round
shape but (as it were) divided, and on the tops of the
sprigs, the seed, not thick. It is warming; as a result a
decoction of it (taken as a drink with wine) is good for
those bitten by poisonous beasts. It is given as an antidote
with passu m [raisin wine] for those who have taken a
drink of hemlock or meconium [4-65], and with vinegar
and honey for those who have taken a drink of gypsum
or ephemerum [4-85]. For convulsions, hernia, and dropsy
it is eaten with a fig. It is dried and the amount of an
acetabulum [vinegar cruet] taken in a drink with honey
and water to expel black (fluids) through the bowels.
Licked in with honey it induces the menstrual flow and
cures coughs. A decoction of it in a bath is good for pruri go
[chronic itching], psoriasis and jaundice. The juice of the
green herb cures tonsils, [inflammation of the] uvula, and
apthae [apt ha — infant thrush or candidiasis]. Dropped in
with oil irinum [1-66] it purges through the nostrils. With
milk it also soothes earache. A vomitory medicine is made
from it with onions and rhus [1-147], all of them being
sunned in the burning heat under the dog [in summer] in
a brass copper jar for forty days. The herb scattered
under[foot] expels snakes.
3-33. ORIGANOS ONITIS
suggested: Origanum onitis — Pot Marjoram
T hat which is called onitis is paler in the leaves,
resembles hyssop [3-30] more, and has seed like
berries hanging together. It can do the same things as the
Heracleotic [3-32], Yet it is not altogether as effective.
400
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
H4- Calaminthae genus*
T* fZV
v>-V/
wx>^/ ' iv
_s^N 'AV A '"- ' 1
jr*- A \ y\;i ' ..> 1 r -
6 \ Hf
r^%w»V=^*'
f ! /^p
401
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
24-cr Calammthae tertium genus*
< ftctltVRUn
402
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-34. AGRIORIGANOS
suggested: Origanum sylvestre, Origanum vulgare [Fuchs],
Origanum vulgare [Linnaeus] — Wild Marjoram, Organy
O riganum sylvestre has leaves similar to origanum,
but the thin stems are twenty centimetres high, on
which are tufts similar to dill. The flowers are white; the
root thin, ineffective. The leaves and flowers (taken in a
drink with wine) effectively help those bitten by snakes.
It is also called pan aces heraclion, others call it cunila, as well
as nicander colophonius.
3-35. TRAGORIGANOS,
TRAGORIGANOS ALLOS
suggested: Satureia thymbra, Thymus tragoriganum,
Thymus graveolens, M icromeria thymbra — Savory of Crete,
Candian Savory
T ragoriganum is a little shrub similar to origanum or
wild serpyllum [3-46] in its leaves and small branches.
Some is found that is more prosperous and broader-
leaved, gluey enough, depending on the location.
Another (which is also called prasium ) has small shoots
and thin leaves. The best is the Cilician and those in Co,
Chios, Smyrna, and Crete. All are warming, urinary, and
good for the intestines (in a decoction taken as a drink)
for they drive down depression. Taken in a drink with
vinegar they are effective for the spleen, and are given as
an antidote with wine for those who have taken a drink
of ixia [3-103]. They expel the menstrual flow, and are
given as linctuses [syrups] with honey for coughs and
pneumonia. A liquid medicine of it is mild; as a result it is
given to the squeamish, for gastric [disorders], unsavoury
belchers, and those who have seasickness, nausea and
heartburn. It dissolves oedema applied with polenta.
403
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-36. GLECHON
suggested: Pulegium [Fuchs], Pulegium foemina [Brunfels],
Pulegium latifolium [Bauhin], M entha pulegium [Linnaeus],
Pulegium vulgare i, Glechon [Latin] — Pennyroyal,
Pudding Grass
G lechium (a well-known herb) reduces the intensity of
symptoms and is warming and digestive. Taken as a
drink it expels the menstrual flow and the afterbirth, and
is an abortifacient. Taken as a drink with salt and honey it
brings up stuff out of the lungs and helps the convulsed.
Taken as a drink with posca [hot drinks] it soothes nausea
and gnawing of the stomach. It draws out depressive
matter through the intestines, and taken as a drink with
wine it helps those bitten by snakes. Applied with
vinegar to the nostrils it restores those who faint.
Pounded dry and burnt, it strengthens the gums. Rubbed
on with polenta it soothes all inflammation. By itself it is
good for gout (applied) until redness appears. With waxy
ointments it extinguishes varos [smallpox pustules]. It is
also good for the spleen applied with salt. A decoction
soothes itching washed on, and it is good as a bath for
gaseousness, hardness, and inversions of the womb. It is
also called blechon because when cattle taste it at its
flowering time they are filled with bleating.
It is also called blechron, or ar sen lean thon; the Romans
call it polium, the Africans, apoleium, the Gauls, albolon,
and some, gallisopsis.
3-37. DIKTAMNON
suggested: Dictamnus albus, Dictamnus fraxinella
— White Dittany, Gas Plant, Candle Plant, Fraxinella
Origanum dictamnus, Dictamnus creticus, Amaracus dictamnus
— Dittany of Crete
D ictamnus is a Cretian herb — sharp, smooth, similar
to pulegium [3-36]. It has bigger leaves, downy, with
a kind of woolly adherence, but it bears neither flower
nor seed. It does all the things that the cultivated pulegium
does but much more forcibly, for not only taken as a
drink but also applied and inhaled as smoke, it expels
dead embryos. They say that goats in Crete having fed on
404
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Amaracus,
STlatouin
405
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
Calaminth^alfcrtim^enus^ ia.<
tDtibcv pofcy.
406
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
the herb reject arrows if shot [wounds]. The juice rubbed
on (alone or with polenta) is cleansing. The herb is
applied to cure prickles under the feet, or [on] the rest of
the body. It is also effective for a painful spleen, for it
lessens it. They gather it in the summer and the fall. The
root warms those who taste it. It is also a birth-hastener,
and the juice (taken as a drink with wine) helps those
bitten by snakes. Such is the strength of this herb that
even the smell drives away poisonous beasts, and the
touch kills them. The juice dropped into a wound caused
by iron, or the bite of a poisonous beast (and as well as
dropping it on, if it is taken in drink), immediately cures.
(Rub dried dictamnus in your hands until it is similar to
meal, throw in a drop of wine and apply it to your body.
It is good against all snakes. It first cleans ulcers and
rotten, gangrenous ulcerations, and then it fills them up.
If one is pricked apply this to him and immediately you
shall help him. Having made meal of it, apply it for the
spleen and disorders from inflammation in hidden
places. Dig up the herb in the spring, the hot seasons, and
in the autumn.) It is also called pulegium sylvestre,
embactron, beluacos, artemedion, creticus, ephemeron, eldian,
belotocos, dorcidium, or elbunium; the Romans call it ustilago
rustica.
3-38. PSEUDODIKTAMNOS
suggested: M arrubium pseudodictamnus,
Berringeria pseudodictamnus, Ballota pseudodictamnus
— White Horehound, Bastard Dittany
T hat which is called pseudodictamnus grows in many
places and is similar to the one above but less sharp.
It does the same things as dictamnus , but is not similarly
effective.
407
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-39. DIKTAMNOS ALLO
suggested: Origanum dictamnus, Dictamnus creticus,
D ictamnus albus, D ictamnus fraxinella, A maracus dictamnus
— White Dittany, Gas Plant, Candle Plant, Fraxinella
Origanum hirtum, Origanum creticum — Hairy Marjoram
A nother kind of dictamnus is brought from Crete that
has leaves similar to sisymbrium [2-155], but with
bigger branches, and a flower similar to wild origanum —
black and soft. The smell of the leaves is most pleasant,
between sisymbrium and sage. It is effective for all things
(as that above) but somewhat less biting. It is mixed with
plasters and antidotal medicines.
3-40. ELELISPHAKON
suggested: Salvia maior, Salvia minor [Fuchs, Bauhin],
Salvia officinalis [Linnaeus] — Sage
H elelisphacum is a much-branched somewhat long
shrub, with four-square and somewhat white
stalks. The leaves are similar to malicottoon [1-160], yet
longer, sharper and thicker, hidden by filaments —
whitish, especially odiferous and poisonous-smelling —
like on outworn garments. The seed is on top of the stalks
like wild horminum [3-145]. It grows in rough places. A
decoction of the leaves and branches (taken as a drink) is
able to induce movement of the urine and the menstrual
flow, is an abortifacient, and helps the strikes of the
pastinaca marina [2-22], It dyes the hair black, is a wound
herb and a blood-stauncher, and cleanses wild ulcers. A
decoction of the leaves and branches (with wine) applied
with hot cloths soothes itchiness around the genitals.
Elelisphacon dissolves chilliness and coughs and is good
used with rosaceum [1-53] and wax ointment for all bad
ulcers. Taken as a drink with white wine it cures a painful
spleen and dysentery. Similarly, given to drink it cures
bloodspitters, and is available for all cleansing for a
woman, but the most wicked women (making a pessary
of it) apply it and use it as an abortifacient. It is also called
daphoboscon, sphagnon, ciosmin, phagnon, or bed on; the
Egyptians call it apusi, the Romans, cosalon, and others,
salvia.
408
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Saluiamaiof*
® albey.
JVfjSfN
Sa/v/'a ma/or
5 7; W.\ )
from FUCHS — 1545
irm \ im ,
W-flJs vl>
409
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
300 Melilotf quartum genus*
Standee.
410
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-41. EDUOSMOS EMEROS
suggested: M entha sativa [Linnaeus], M entha viridis
— Common Mint, Spearmint, Whorled Mint
M entha piperita — White Mint, Peppermint
H edyosmus is a well-known little herb that is
warming, astringent, and drying. As a result the
juice of it (taken as a drink with vinegar) stops blood, ki lls
roundworms, and encourages lust [aphrodisiac]. Two or
three little sprigs (taken in a drink with the juice of a sour
pomegranate) soothe hiccups, vomiting, and bile.
Applied with polenta it dissolves suppurations. Applied
to the forehead it eases headaches. It soothes the swelling
and extension of the breasts, and with salt it is a poultice
for dog bites. The juice with honey and water helps
earache. Applied to women before sexual intercourse, it
causes inconception. Rubbed on, it makes a rough tongue
smooth. It keeps m i l k from curdling if the leaves are
steeped in it. Finally, it is good for the stomach and fit for
sauce. It is also called men t ha; the Romans call it menta,
some, nepeta, the Egyptians, tis, others call it pherthumer-
thrumonthu, perxo, or macetho.
3-42. EDUOSMOS AGRIOS
suggested: M entastrum [Fuchs], M entastro [Italian],
M entha sylvestris, M entha viridis, M entha arvensis [Linnaeus],
M entha gen til is, Calamintha arvensis [Bauhin] — Wild Mint,
Horse Mint
[other usage] M entastro [Italian], M arrubium vulgare
— Common White Horehound
see 3-119
T he wild hedyosmus (which the Romans call
mentastrum ) has rougher leaves, is altogether bigger
than sisymbrium [2-155], more poisonous to smell, and
less suitable for use in health.
411
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-43. KALAMINTHE
suggested: Calamintha tertium genus [Fuchs],
Conyza media asteris [Bauhin], Inula dysenterica [Linnaeus],
Pulicaria dysenterica [in Sprague] — Fleabane
Calamintha nepeta, N epeta cataria [Linnaeus] — Catmint,
Catnip, Nep
Calamintha officinalis, M eiissa calamintha
— Common Calamint, Cat Mint
S ome cal ami ntha is more mountainous, and has whitish
leaves similar to basil, with the sprigs and stalks
angular, and a purple flower. The other sort is similar to
pulegium [3-36] yet bigger, as a result some have called it
pulegium agreste, because it also has a similar smell. The
Romans call this nepeta. The third sort is similar to wild
mint, longer in the leaves, bigger than that previously
mentioned in the stalk and branch, and it is less effective.
The leaves of all of them are strongly warming and sharp
to the taste: the roots are not effective. It grows in plain
fields and rough watery places. Taken as a drink (or
applied) it helps those bitten by snakes. A decoction
(taken as a drink) induces the passing of urine, and helps
hernia, convulsions, orthopnoea [form of asthma],
griping, bile, and chills. Taken as a drink (beforehand)
with wine it is an antidote against poisons and cleans
away jaundice. Pounded into small pieces (either boiled
or raw) and taken as a drink with salt and honey it kills
both roundworms and threadworms. Eaten with the
whey of milk and taken as a drink (afterwards) it helps
those with elephantiasis. The leaves pounded into small
pieces and given in a pessary are an abortifacient and
expel the menstrual flow. Inhaled as smoke or scattered
underfoot it drives away snakes. Boiled in wine and
applied, it makes black scars white and takes away
bruises. It is applied to sciatica for a medicine to eliminate
waste or morbid matter, burning the outward skin. The
juice is dropped in the ears to kill worms.
412
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
413
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
M elilotus officinalis
after FAGUET — 1888
414
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-44. THUMPS
suggested^ hymus angustifolius, Thymus glaber
— Wild Thyme, Mother of Thyme
E veryone knows thyme. It is a little shrub full of
branches surrounded with many narrow little leaves,
and little heads with flowers resembling purple on the
top. It grows chiefly in rocky and barren places. Taken as
a drink with salt and vinegar it is able to drive out
phlegmy matter through the bowels. A decoction with
honey helps orthopnoea [form of asthma] and the
asthmatic, expels worms and the menstrual flow, is an
abortifacient, expels the afterbirth, and is urinary. Mixed
with honey and taken as a linctus [syrup] it makes matter
come up [vomitory]. Applied with vinegar it dissolves
new swellings and clots of blood, and takes away thymos
[hormonal glandular enlargement] and hanging warts.
Applied with wine and polenta it is good for hip pains.
Eaten with meat it is good for poor vision. It is good
instead of sauce for use in health. It is also called white
thyme, cephalotus, epithumis, or thyrsium; the Romans call
it thymus, the Egyptians, Stephan e, and the Dacians,
mozula.
3-45. THUMBRA
suggested: Sisymbrium [Pliny] see 2-155, Serpyllum sylvestre
[Fuchs], Serpyllum vulgareminus [Bauhin], Thymus serpyllum
[Linnaeus] — Creeping Thyme, Wild Thyme,
Mother of Thyme
T hymbra is also well known. It grows in barren and
rough places — similar to thyme, only smaller and
more tender, and bearing a stalk full of flowers of a
greenish colour. It can do the same things as thyme
(taken the same way) and it is suitable for use in health.
There is also a cultivated satureia, of less value in
everything than the wild, yet more effective for meat
[sauce] because it does not have as much sharpness.
415
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-46. ERPULLOS, ERPULLOS ZOGIS
suggested: Thymus, Serpyllum romanum [Fuchs],
Thymus vulgaris [Linnaeus] — Garden Thyme,
Potherb Thyme
H erpyllum is the garden kind, similar to sampsuchum
[3-47] in smell, and used for making wreaths for the
head. It is so-called from its creeping, and because if any
part of it touches the earth, there it roots. It has leaves and
small branches similar to origanum, yet whiter. Trailed
down from unmortared walls it becomes more abundant.
The other is wild and is called zygis — not creeping but
upright, sending out thin branches full of sprigs,
surrounded with leaves similar to rue, yet they are
narrow, longer, and harder. The flower is sharp to the
taste, sweet to the smell, the root useless. It grows on
rocks, being stronger and hotter than the garden kind
and more suitable for medicinal use. Taken in a drink it
expels the menstrual flow and causes an urge to urinate.
It helps griping, hernia, convulsions, inflammation of the
liver and snakebites taken as a drink and applied. Boiled
with vinegar (with rosaceum [1-53] mixed in there) and
the head moistened with it, soothes headaches. It is
especially good for lethargy and frenzy. Four
teaspoonfuls of the juice (taken as a drink with vinegar)
stop the vomiting of blood. It is also called zygis sylvestris,
or polion, the Egyptians call it meruopyos, the Romans,
serpyllum, others, cicer er rati cum.
3-47. SAMPSUCHON
suggested: Sampsuchum, Sampsucum, Origanum majorum
[Pliny], Amaracus, M aiorana [Fuchs], M ajorana vulgaris
[Bauhin], Origanum majorana [Linneaus],
Origanum majoranoides, M ajorana hortensis
— Sweet Marjoram, Knotted Marjoram
T he best sampsuchum is the Cyzicenian and the
Cyprian, but the Egyptian is second to this. It is a
herb with many branches that creeps along the earth,
with round rough leaves similar to thin-leaved calamint,
very fragrant and heating. It is plaited into wreaths for
the head. A decoction (taken as a drink) is good for those
416
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Aethusa cynapium,
Apium rusticum
Lesser Hemlock or Fool's Parsley
POISONOUS
after THIEBAULT — 1881
417
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
418
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
who are beginning to have dropsy, and for frequent
painful urination, and griping. The dry leaves are
smeared on with honey to take away bruises. In a pessary
they drive out the menstrual flow; and they are rubbed
on with salt and vinegar for the strike of a scorpion. For
dislocations and oedema they are applied with a wax
ointment. They are rubbed on with flour of polenta for
inflammation, and mixed with medications to remove
fatigue, and with softening medicines for warmth's sake.
The Cyzicenians and those in Sicily call it amaracum. It is
also called trifolium, amaracum, agathides, cnecion, or
acapnon; Pythagoras calls it thrambes, the Egyptians, sopho,
the Armenians, myurum, the Magi call it the ass of the
priest, others, genitura I si d is, and the Romans, maiorana.
3-48. MELILOTOS
SUGGESTED: M dilotus italica, M eliloti quartum genus [Fuchs],
Trifolium meli lotus corniculata [Linnaeus],
Trigonella corniculata, Trigonella elatior — Wild Trefoil
[other usage] M elilotus officinalis, M elilotus arvensis,
Corona regia, Trifolium melilotus officinalis — Honey Lotus,
King's Clover, Melilot
T he best melilotus is the Attic [Athenian] and that
which grows in Chalcedon — similar to saffron, with
a sweet scent. It also grows in Campania around Nola,
inclining to yellow, and weak regarding the sweet smell.
It is a powerful astringent, and boiled with passu m
[raisin wine] and applied, softens all inflammation —
especially that around the eyes, womb, buttocks and
anus, and the stones [testicles]. Sometimes the roasted
yolk of an egg is mixed with it, or the meal of fenugreek,
hemp seed, wheat flour, the heads of poppies, or intybus
[2-160]. Used alone in water it also cures new melicerides
[encysted tumour with honey-like exudation], as well as
scaly eruptions on the scalp, rubbed on with Chian [from
Scios in the Aegean sea] earth and wine or galls [oak
galls]. For pain in the stomach boil it with wine or use it
raw with some of the things previously mentioned.
Juiced raw and dropped in the ears with passum [raisin
wine] it eases earache, and when let fall on [the head]
gently with vinegar and rosaceum [1-53] it soothes
419
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
headaches. It is also called zoodot ion, and ortamon, or, by
the Magi, thermuthin; the Egyptians call it haemith, and the
Romans, sertuia, or trypatium.
3-49. MARON
SUGGESTED: T eucrium marum — Marum Germander,
Cat Thyme
M arum or hysobrium is a well-known herb full of
sprigs, similar in the flower to origanum, but the
leaves of this are much paler, and the flower sweeter. It
has abilities similar to sisymbrium [2-155] — somewhat
astringent and gently heating. Applied, it stops
gangrenous ulceration, and it is mixed with the hot
ingredients of compound ointments. It grows in
abundance both near Magnesia and near Tralles. It is also
called origan is.
3-50. AKINOS
suggested: Thymus acinos,Ocimum pilosum,
A cinos vulgaris — Acinos
see 3-109, 4-28, 4-176
A cinus or aeon US is a herb with a small stalk used in
making wreaths for the head, similar to basil but
rougher. It has a sweet scent, and is also sown in gardens
by some. Taken as a drink it stops discharges of the
intestines, and the menstrual flow. Applied, it heals both
pan n US [opaque thickening of cornea with veins] and
erysipeta [streptococcal skin infection]. It is also called
basilicum sylvestre, and the Romans call it ocimastrum.
3-51. BAKCHARIS
suggested: Baccharis, Conyza dioscoroidis,
Baccharis dioscorides — Bacchar [Bedevian],
Ploughman's Spikenard
Baccharis now applied to an American genus of Compositae.
B accharis is a herb with many stalks and a sweet scent.
It is used to make wreaths for the head. The leaves
420
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
421
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
Origanum fylucftre,fcu uulgare. 515
(Bmeinct Ot>ol0cmur.
422
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
are sharp, in size between the violet and verbascum
[4-104]; the stalk angular, a foot in height, somewhat
sharp, with suckers. The flowers are a purple colour,
whitish and sweet smelling, and the roots are similar to
those of black veratrum [4-151], and similar in smell to
cinnamon. It loves rough, dry places. Boiled in water the
root helps convulsions, hernia, falls from on high, hard
breathing, obstinate coughs, and painful urination. It
expels the menstrual flow, and is usefully given with
wine to those bitten by snakes. One of the tender roots
(applied as a pessary) is an abortifacient, and a decoction
of it is good for bathing women in childbirth. It is good in
scented powders, having a very fragrant smell. The
leaves are astringent, and are applied to help headaches,
inflammation of the eyes, ulcers of the eyes as they begin,
breasts inflamed from childbearing, and erysipela
[streptococcal skin infection]. The smell is sleep-
inducing.
3-52. PEGANON TO KEPAION,
PEGANON TO OREINON
suggested: Peganum harmala — Wild Rue, Syrian Rue,
Harmel
Ruta an gusti folia, Ruta chalepensis — Aleppo Rue, Syrian Rue
Ruta hortensis [Fuchs, Bauhin], Ruta graveolens [Linnaeus]
— Common Rue, Herb of Grace
CAUTION — ALLERGIC REACTIONS— OVERDOSE TOXIC OR FATAL
see 3-53, 4-98
M ountainous wild rue is sharper than the tame or
garden rue and unfit for eating. Of the garden
kind the fittest for eating grows near fig trees. Both are
sharp, warming, ulcerating, diuretic, and bring out the
menstrual flow. Eaten (or taken as a drink) they are
astringent to the bowels. An acetabulum [vinegar cruet] of
the seed (taken as a drink in wine) is an antidote for
deadly medicines. The leaves eaten (beforehand) by
themselves or with cany a [1-178] or dry figs make poisons
ineffective. The same is taken against snakebites, and
either eaten or taken as a drink it extinguishes conception
[abortifacient]. Boiled with dried dill and taken as a drink
it stops griping. It is good taken as a drink for pain in the
sides of the chest, hard breathing, coughs, lung
423
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
inflammation, pains in the hips and joints, and periodical
chills (as previously mentioned). For gaseousness of the
col US [colic], vulva, rectum, and intestines it is boiled with
oil and given as a suppository. Pounded into small pieces
with honey and applied from the genitals to the
perineum, it also cures constriction of the womb. Boiled
in oil and taken as a drink it expels worms. It is applied
with honey for painful joints, and with figs for dropsy
under the skin. Boiled in wine until half the amount
remains then taken as a drink (and also rubbed on) it
helps these [problems] also. Eaten raw or pickled it is a
sight-restorer, and applied with polenta it soothes pains
in the eyes. Pounded fine and applied with rosdceum
[1-53] and vinegar it helps headaches and stops bloody
discharges from the nostrils. Applied with bay leaves it
helps inflammation from stones [urinary, kidney]. With
myrtle wax ointment it helps rashes such as measles.
Rubbed on all over with wine, pepper and saltpetre
[potassium nitrate] it heals white vitiligo [type of leprosy],
and applied with the same things it takes away warty
abnormal growths and myrmecias [warts resembling an
anthill]. Applied with honey and aiiom [5-123] it is good
for lichenae [skin disease]. The juice warmed in a
pomegranate rind and dropped in the ears is good for ear
sores. Rubbed on with juice of mar at hr urn [3-81] and
honey it helps dullness of sight. Rubbed on with vinegar,
cerussa [white lead ore] and rosaceum [1-53] it cures
erysipeia [streptococcal skin infection], herpes [viral skin
infection], and scaly eruptions on the scalp. Chewed, it
stops the bad smells that come [from eating] garlic and
onions. It is also called rhyten montana ; the Romans call it
ruta montana or ruta hor tense, the Egyptians, epnubu , the
Syrians, harmala, some, besasa and the Africans, churma.
The hilly rue kills, eaten too much. Gathered around
flowering time for pickling it makes the skin red, and
puffs it up with itching and extreme inflammation.They
ought, having first rubbed [protection on] the face and
the hands, so to gather it. They say that the juice
sprinkled on chicken keeps off the cats. They say that
eaten, the rue that grows in Macedonia by the river
Haliacmon kills; but that place is mountainous and full of
vipers. Taken in a drink the seed is good for disorders
within, and it is usefully mixed with antidotes. Having
dried the seed, give it to drink for seven days to one who
sheds his water [dehydration] and it shall cease. The root
424
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Hierac/um minus*
=$ab:d?£raut.
425
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
426
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
of it is called mountain moly. The wild rue therefore is
similar to the cultivated, and it is good (taken in a drink)
for epilepsy and pains in the hips. It induces the
menstrual flow and is an abortifacient. It is sharper than
the cultivated and more effective in use. But you must
not eat the wild because it is hurtful.
Ruta sylvestris is also called hypericon , androsaemon,
corion, or chamepitys ; the Romans call it hederalis, others,
sentinaiis, and the Africans, churma semmaked.
3-53. PEGANON AGRION
suggested: Ruta montana, Ruta legitima, Ruta sylvestris
— Wild Rue, Mountain Rue
Thaiictrum aquiiegifoiium — Meadow Rue
G aiega officinalis — Common Goat's Rue
Asplenium ruta-muriara — Wall Rue
Peganum harmala — Wild Rue, Syrian Rue, Harmel
see 3-52, 4-98
S ome call ruta sylvestris (both that in Cappadocia and
that in Galatia near Asia) moly. It is a shrub that brings
out many shoots from one root, with much longer more
tender leaves than the other rue. It has a strong scent and
white flowers, and on the top, little heads a little bigger
than the cultivated rue, consisting especially of three
parts, in which is a three-cornered seed of a faint yellow,
extremely bitter to the taste. Use is made of this. The seed
ripens in the autumn. Pounded into small pieces with
honey, wine, the gall of hens, saffron, and marathrum
[3-81] juice it is good for dullness of the sight.
It is also called harmala-, the Syrians call it besasa, the
Egyptians, epnubu, Africans, churwa and the
Cappadocians, moly, because in some ways it is similar to
moly (having a black root and white flowers) and it grows
in hilly fertile places.
3-54. MOLU
suggested: A Ilium moly — Wild Garlic
A Ilium magicum [Loudon] — Homer's Moly
M oly has leaves similar to grass (but broader) on the
ground; flowers similar to white violets, a milky
427
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
colour, less in quantity than those of the violet. It has a
white stalk of four feet, on the top of which stands
something similar to garlic. The root is small, in the shape
of a sca lli on [2-179]. This is very good, pounded with
flour of lolium [2-116, 4-140] and inserted as a pessary for
openings of the womb. The herb moly (cut up by the root
and carried around the body) is good against poisoning
and bewitching. It is also called leucoion sylvestre.
3-55. PANAKES HERAKLEION
suggested: H eracleum panaces — Fig-leaved Cow Parsnip
H eracleum sphondylium — Common Cow Parsnip
H eracleum gummiferum, H eracleum pubescens,
H eracleum pyrenaicum — Downy Cow Parsnip
P anances heracleum (from which opopanax is gathered)
grows in abundance in Boeotia, and Psophis in
Arcadia. It is carefully cultivated in gardens for the
benefit that comes from the juice. It has rough green
leaves lying on the ground, coming very near to those of
the fig, jagged five-fold in the circumference. It has a very
high stalk (like a ferula ) with white down and smaller
leaves around it, and a long tuft on the top like dill. It has
yellowish flowers. The seed smells sweet and acrid. The
many white strong-smelling roots emerge from one
beginning, with thick bark and a somewhat bitter taste. It
also grows in Cyrene, Libya, and in Macedonia. The root
is juiced after being cut when the stalks are newly-
emerged. It sends out a white juice that, dried, has a
saffron colour on the outside. To remove the liquid from
the leaves they lay them beforehand on a hollow dug in
the ground and pick them up them when dry. They also
juice the stalk, cutting it at harvest time and taking out
the liquid the same way. The best roots are stretched out,
white, dry, not worm-eaten, hot to the taste, and
aromatic. The seed that comes from the middle of the
stalk is good, for that which comes from the sprigs is less
nourished. The [dried] juice that excels is the most bitter
to the taste, inside indeed white and somewhat red, but
outside a saffron colour, smooth, fat, brittle, fit for use,
melting quickly, and with a strong scent; but the black
and soft is worthless as it is adulterated with ammoniacum
[3-98] or wax. Being rubbed in water with the fingers tests
428
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
EleofelinuXitie Apium paluflrc* i#
W&ffct £pptdj.
429
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
114- Careum*
jVfttfcimcf,
430
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
it, for the counterfeited dissolves and becomes similar to
milk. It is warming and softening, and reduces the
intensity of symptoms. As a result, taken as a drink with
honey and water (or wine) it is good for periods of acute
fevers and chills, convulsions, hernia, pains in the side,
coughs, griping, parasitic diseases in the bladder, and
slow painful urination. Dissolved with honey it induces
the menstrual flow, is an abortifacient, and scatters
gaseousness and hardness in the womb. It is an ointment
for hip pains. It is mixed with [medicines for] removal of
fatigue, and with head medicines. It breaks carbuncles all
around, and rubbed on with raisin clusters it is good for
gout. It soothes toothache put into tooth cavities, and is
rubbed on as a sight-restorer for the eyes. Mixed with
pitch it is an excellent plaster for those bitten by mad
dogs, and the root shaved and applied to the vulva is an
abortifacient. Pounded into small pieces and rubbed on
with honey it is effective for old ulcers, and applied it
covers exposed bones with flesh. The seed (taken with
wormwood [3-26]) induces the menstrual flow, and with
aristolochia [3-4, 3-5, 3-6] it is good for the bites of
poisonous beasts. It is taken as a drink with wine for
constriction of the womb.
3-56. PANAKES ASKLEPION
suggested: A sclepias syriaca — Milkweed, Silkweed
Thapsia asclepium [Loudon] — Deadly Carrot
POISONOUS — A esculapius is the god of medicine — see 3-106
P anaces Aesculapij sends a thin stalk of a foot's length
(distinguished by knots) out of the earth, around
which are leaves similar to marathrum [3-81], yet bigger,
rougher, and fragrant; and on the top is a tuft on which
are sharp, fragrant flowers of a golden colour. The root is
small. The flowers and seeds applied pounded into small
pieces with honey, have a medicinal quality suitable for
ulcers, pannus [opaque thickening of cornea with veins],
and spreading ulcers. For snakebites it is taken as a drink
with wine and rubbed on with oil. Some call [this] pan aces
wild origanum, some again call it cunila (where it is
referred to in the section on origanum).
431
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-57. PANAKES CHEIRONION
suggested: Opopanax chironium, Ferula opopanax,
Laserpitium chironium — Opopanax, Heal-all
Chiron was a centaur, teacher of Aesculapius [see above].
P an aces Chiron ion grows chiefly on the mountain
Pelius. It has leaves similar to amaracus [white
dittany], gold flowers, and a slender shallow root that is
sharp to the taste. Taken in a drink the root is able to act
against snakes' poison; and the filaments are also applied
effectively for the same purposes.
3-58. LIGUSTIKON
suggested: Ligusticum ajwain, Ammi copticum,
Carum copticum, Ptychotis coptica, Sison ammi, Ptychotis ajawain,
Bunium copticum — Ammi, Bishop's Weed, Lovage,
Ajava Seeds
see 3-70
L igusticum grows most plentifully in Liguria on the
Apennine, a hill bordering on the Alps (from which it
has its name). The inhabitants call it panaces not without
reason since the root and the stalk are similar to the
Heracleotic [3-55] panaces, and their strength is the same.
It grows on the highest, roughest, shadowy mountains,
but especially in places dug in the earth. It bears a thin
knotty stalk similar to dill, around which are leaves
similar to those of melilot [3-48], yet more tender and
fragrant. Those near the top stalk are more slender and
cut-in. On the top is a tuft on which is the seed — black,
sound, somewhat long, like that of marathrum [3-81], but
sharp and aromatic to the taste. The root is white, similar
to the Heracleotic pan aces, fragrant.
The seed and roots are heating and digestive. They
are good for internal pains, digestion, oedema,
gaseousness, disorders of the stomach (especially), and
strikes from poisonous beasts. Taken in a drink it makes
urine pass, as well as the menstrual flow. The root
applied does the same. The roots and the seed are
effective mixed with oxypota [oxymel — vinegar and
honey drink] and digestive medicines. It is excellent for
432
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Hippofelmum,
(Biof
433
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
35° Api'umhortcnfe*
(Barteii j£pptc$.
434
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
the stomach; as a result the inhabitants use it instead of
pepper, mixing it with their sauces. A certain seed similar
to it, which you shall discern by the taste, for it is bitter,
counterfeits it. Some counterfeit it mixing together with it
the seed of fennel or seseli. It is also called panacea or
pan aces.
3-59. STAPHULINOS AGRIOS,
STAPHULINOS KEPAIOS
suggested: Staphylinum [Pliny], Pastinaca sativa prima,
Pastinaca erratica, Carota [Fuchs], D aucus officinarum [Bauhin],
D aucus carota var sativa [Linnaeus] — Carrot
D aucus carota var sylvestris — Wild Carrot
S taphylinum has leaves like gingidium, only broader
and somewhat bitter. It has a rough upright stalk
with a tuft similar to dill on which are white flowers, and
in the midst something small of a purple colour and of
almost a saffron colour. The root is the thickness of a
finger, twenty centimetres long, sweet smelling and
edible (boiled as a vegetable). The seed induces the
menstrual flow, taken as a drink (or inserted as a
pessary), and is good in liquid medicines for frequent
painful urination, dropsy, and pleurisy, as well as for the
bites and strikes of venomous creatures. They also say
that those who take it beforehand shall experience no
assault from wild beasts. It encourages conception. The
root (also being urinary) is applied to stir up sexual
intercourse [aphrodisiac]. The leaves, pounded into small
pieces with honey and applied, clean ulcers that spread.
The garden pastinaca is fitter to be eaten, and is good for
the same purposes, working more weakly. It is also called
cerascomen ; the Romans call it carota , some pastinaca
rustica, the Egyptians, babiburu, and the Africans sicham.
435
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-60. SESELI MASSALEOTIKON
suggested: Seseli massiliense [Fuchs],
Gingidium umbella oblonga [Bauhin], Daucus visagna
[Linnaeus], A mmi visagna [in Sprague], D aucus visagna
— Pick-tooth, Tooth Pick
S eseli M assiliensehas leaves similar to marathrum [3-81]
yet thicker, and it has a stalk more full of branches. It
has a tuft similar to dill, in which is a seed — somewhat
long, angular, and quickly sharp if eaten. The root is long
with a sweet scent. The seed and root are warming: taken
as a drink they cure slow painful urination and
orthopnoea [form of asthma]. They are good for urinary
constriction and epilepsy, induce the menstrual flow, are
abortifacient, and are effective for all disorders within.
They cure old coughs, and taken as a drink with wine the
seed helps digestion and dissolves griping. It is also good
for cooling [sudden] fevers, and is taken as a drink with
pepper and wine for chills in childbirth. It is given to
goats and other cattle as a drink for hastening delivery. It
is also called sphagnon.
3-61. SESELI AITHIOPIKON
suggested: Dauci alterum genus, Seseli aethiopicum [Fuchs],
Libanotis iati folia altera [Bauhin], Laserpitium lati folium
[Linnaeus] — Broad-leaved Laserwort [Loudon]
E thiopian sesel/s has leaves similar to GSSUS [2-210] yet
smaller and somewhat long, similar to those of
periclymenom. It is a large shrub with branches of about
two feet, on which are stems eighteen inches long. The
little heads are like dill; the seeds black, thick like wheat,
yet sharper and more fragrant than the Massaleotican
[3-60], and very sweet. It produces similar effects. The
Egyptians call it cyonophricen.
436
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
D aucus carota
after THIEBAULT — 1881
437
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
Libyfh'cum miWre,
£iebfl$cfcl
438
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-62. SESELI PELOPONNESIAKON
suggested: Dauci tertium genus, Seseli Peloponnesiacum
[Fuchs], Peucedanum cervaria [in Sprague],
D aucus montanus apii [Bauhin], A thamanta cervaria [Linnaeus]
— Hog Fennel, Wild Celery
T hat which grows in Peloponnesus has leaves similar
to hemlock but broader and thicker, and a stalk
bigger than the Massiliense [3-60], similar to a ferula. On
the top of this is a broad tuft, in which is a broader seed
with a sweet scent and more fleshy. It has the same
strength [as those above]. It grows in rough, moist and
hilly places. It also grows in Ida.
3-63. TORDULION
suggested: D aucus creticus, Tordylon, Seseli creticum [Fuchs],
A themanta meum [Linnaeus], A ethusa meum,
M eum athemanticum [in Sprague], A themanticum meum,
Seseli meum — Bald-money, Meu, Spignel, Bear Root
see 1-3
[other usage] Tordyilum suaveolens, Pastinaca dissecta,
Pastinaca schekakul — Rough Parsnip
T ordylium officinale — Small Hartwort
Tordylium maximum— Hartwort
formerly included in genus Seseli
T ordylium grows on the hill Amanus in Cilicia. It is a
little herb full of shoots, with a little round double
seed similar to little shields, somewhat sharp and
aromatic. It is taken in a drink for painful urination, and
to expel the menstrual flow. The juice from the stalk and
seed (while yet green) taken as a drink for ten days with
as much as thirty grains of passu m [raisin wine], makes
any kidney disease sound. The root is licked in with
honey to draw up matter that stops the chest. It is also
called tordylum, while others call it creticum.
439
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-64. SISON
suggested: Sison amomum, Sium amomum,Sium aromaticum
— Hedge Sison, Bastard Stone Parsley
S ison is a little seed similar to apium [3-77] that grows in
Syria — somewhat long, black, with an acrid taste. It
is taken in a drink for the spleen, painful urination, and
retention of the menstrual flow. The inhabitants use it for
a sauce, eating it with cucurbita [2-164] boiled with
vinegar. It has (as it were) many little grains on the tops.
3-65. ANISON
suggested: A nisum herbariis [Bauhin], Pimpinella anisum
[Linnaeus], A nisum vulgare, Tragium anisum — Anise,
Sweet Cumin, Aniseed Plant
A nisum is generally warming, drying, pain-easing,
dissolving, urinary, dispersing, and it makes the
breath sweet. Taken in a drink it takes away thirst caused
by dropsy. It is also good for removing the poison of
venomous creatures, and gaseousness. It stops
discharges of the intestines and white excessive
discharges, draws down milk, and incites sexual union
[aphrodisiac]. Inhaled by the nostrils it quietens
headaches, and pounded into small pieces and dropped
in the ears with rosaceum [1-53], it heals cracks in them.
The best is new, full, not branny and strongly scented.
The Cretian claims the first place, and the second is the
Egyptian. It is also called si on, and the Romans call it
anisum.
3-66. KAROS
suggested: Caros, Careum [Fuchs], Carum carvi [Linnaeus],
Apium carvi, Bunium carum — Caraway
C arum is a well-known little seed. It is urinary,
warming, good for the stomach, pleasant to the
mouth and digestive. It is mixed usefully in antidotes and
oxypota [oxymel — vinegar and honey drink]. It has much
the same nature as anisum [3-65]. The boiled root is edible
as a vegetable (like parsnip).
440
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Spina alba fylucftris
ZDci§
X
7 - j
) i , Ga -v'
r^Vv,
S’ A- '
)
?Mr r, *%XA m,
m rm \W
‘KT A %\ n?
^ it,/
TS.fe
I -< J ' S ' /y"'
•I y / "W-v-r
f •: i <*
K/, / I I A . X'
/ / l jr \J/ { /
K cP~~f ft ''[/ \ f / / 1 ■ /
/ ,// > S^irM , )! • J 'fj/ _> : -y \ ]•/] /
f >y ^ y - V\ / (A /, - ^ ' ;/
% >, HiA
Spina alba sylvestris
from FUCHS — 1545
j
< ^K r
, . V . *- ’
sfizXyrr\ \
441
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
442
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-67. ANETHON
suggested: A nethum hortense [Bauhin]
Anethum graveolens [Linnaeus], Peucedanum graveolens,
Selinum athenum, Pastinaca athenum — Dill
A nethum is eaten as a vegetable. A decoction of the
dried filaments and the seed (taken as a drink)
draws down mi l k, soothes griping and gaseousness, and
stops both the intestines and the vomit that floats on top
of the stomach; it makes urine pass, it stops hiccups, and
taken too often as a drink it both dulls the sight and
extinguishes conception [abortifacient]. A decoction is
good as a bath for women troubled with womb disorders.
The seed (burnt and sprinkled on) takes away venereal
warts. It is also called polgidos or anicetum ; the Magi call it
genitura cynocephali; similarly, crines cynocephali, or
genitura Mercurij. The Egyptians call it arachu , the
Romans, anethum, the Africans, sicciria, and the Dacians,
poltum.
3-68. KUMINON AGRION
suggested: Cuminum cyminum, Cuminum odoratum
— Cumin
C umin is cultivated. It has a good taste, especially the
Ethiopian which Hippocrates called the kingly, next
the Egyptian, and then the rest. It grows in Galatia, Asia,
Cilicia, the region of Tarentum and many other places. It
is hot, astringent, and drying. It is good boiled with oil
and given as a suppository (or applied with barley meal)
for griping and gaseousness. It is also given with posca
[hot drinks] for orthopnoea [difficult breathing], and
with wine to those bitten by venomous creatures.
Applied with raisins and bean flour (or waxy ointments)
it helps inflammation from stones [urinary, kidney].
Pounded into small pieces with vinegar it is applied to
stop women's excessive discharges [menstrual flow] and
bleeding from the nostrils. It also changes the skin to a
paler colour either taken in a drink or smeared on.
443
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-69. KUMINON EMERON
Lagoecia cuminoide s
after THIEBAULT - 1881
suggested: Lagoecia cuminoides — Common Wild Cumin
C uminum sy/yestre grows in Lycia, Galatia in Asia, and
Carthage in Spain. These are the most effective. It is
a little shrub with a thin stalk twenty centimetres long, on
which are four or five little leaves (as it were) sawn-
around with incisions (like gingidium [2-167]). It has five
or six little round, soft heads on the top, in which is the
husky seed, sharper to the taste than the cultivated. It
grows in hilly places. The seed is taken in a drink with
water for griping and gaseousness. With vinegar it
soothes hiccups. It is taken with wine for the poison of
venomous creatures and moisture of the stomach.
Chewed and applied with honey and grapes it takes
away bruises. Applied with the same [things] it cures
inflammation from stones [urinary, kidney]. There is also
another kind of wild cumin similar to the cultivated. Out
of every flower it sends out little horns lifted up in which
is the seed (similar to melanthium [3-93]). Taken in a drink
this is an excellent remedy for those bitten by snakes. It
helps those troubled with slow painful urination and
stones [urinary, kidney], and those who urinate drops of
blood. Afterwards let them drink boiled apium [3-77]
seeds. The Romans call it cuminum agreste, and some call it
cuminum silvaticum.
3-70. AMMI
SUGGESTED: A mmi majus [Bauhin, Linnaeus]
— Bishop's Weed, Amee see 3-58
[other usage] A egopodium podagraria — Ammi [1551],
Herb Gerard, Bishop's Weed, Goutweed, Ground Elder
mmi is a well-known little seed, smaller than cumin.
L JLand similar to origanum in the taste. Choose seed
that is pure and not branny. This is warming, acrid and
drying. It is good (taken in a drink with wine) for griping,
difficult painful urination, and those bitten by venomous
creatures. It induces the menstrual flow. It is mixed with
corrosive medicines made of dried beetles [2-65] to resist
the difficult painful urination that follows. Applied with
honey it takes away bruises around the eyes. Taken
Lagoecia cuminoides
after THIEBAULT - 1881
444
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Apnrine.
3Icbfr«ut.
445
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
H eradeum sphondylium
after THIEBAULT — 1881
446
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
either as a drink or smeared on it changes the [skin] to a
paler colour; and soaked with raisins or rosin it cleans the
vulva. The Romans call it ammium A lexandrinum. It is also
called Aethiopicum, or regium cuminum, but some have
said that the Ethiopian cumin has one nature and the
ammi another.
3-71. KORIANNON
suggested: Coriandrum [Fuchs], Coriandrum majus [Bauhin]
Coriandrum sativum — Coriander
POSSIBLE ALLERGIC REACTIONS
C or/on or coriannum is well known. It is able to cool. As
a result (applied with bread or polenta) it heals
erysipela [streptococcal skin infection] and creeping
ulcers. With honey and raisins it cures epinyctis [pustules
which appear only at night], inflammation from stones
[urinary, kidney], and carbuncles [infected boils]
[malignant skin tumours]. With bruised beans it dissolves
scrofulous tumours [goitres] and the inflammation of
bones. A little of the seed (taken as a drink with passum
[raisin wine]) expels worms and promotes the creation of
seed [sperm]. If too much is taken it disturbs the
understanding dangerously, as a result men ought to
avoid the excessive and frequent use of it. The juice
rubbed on with cerussa [white lead ore] or litharge
[monoxide of lead], vinegar and rosaceum [1-53] mends
burning inflammation on the outside of the skin. The
Egyptians call it ochion, and the Africans, goid.
3-72. IERAKION MEGA
suggested: Hieracium maius,Sonchites [Fuchs],
Sonchus arvensis [Linnaeus] — Corn Sowthistle
[other usage] H ieracium sylvaticum, H ieracium murorum
— Wood Hawkweed, Wall Hawkweed
T he great hieracium produces a rough stalk —
somewhat red, prickly, hollow. It has thinly-jagged
leaves at distances, similar in circumference to sonchus
[2-159]; and yellowish flowers in somewhat long little
heads. It is cooling, indifferent, and gently astringent. As
Hieracium mauis.
(S:o[i -FCbicpMUt.
H ieracium majus
from FUCHS — 1545
447
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
a result it is good applied on a burning stomach, and for
inflammation. The juice is sipped to soothe pangs of
hunger in the stomach. The herb (with the root) is
applied to help one bitten by a scorpion. It is also called
son chi ten; the Romans call itlampuca, and the Africans,
sithileas.
3-73. IERAKION MIKRON
suggested: Hieraceum minus [Fuchs], Crepis tectorum
[Linnaeus] — Hawksbeard [Mabberley]
[other usage] H ieracium pilosella — Mouse-ear Hawkweed
T he little hieracium also has jagged leaves at distances.
It sends out tender little green stalks on which are
yellow flowers in a circle. It has the same uses as that
previously spoken of [3-72], Some call this son chi ten,
others, entimon agrion, the Romans, intubus agrestis, and
the Africans, sithilesade.
3-74. SELINON AGRION, SELINON
KEPAION
suggested: A pi um, A pi um hortense [Fuchs], Eieoselinum,
Apium palustre [Brunfels], A pium graveolens [Linnaeus],
Apium celleri, Celeri graveolens — Marsh Celery,
Wild Celery, Celery, Marsh Parsley, Smallage
[other usage] Seiinum carvifo/a — M ilk Parsley
T he herb garden seiinum applied with bread or floured
polenta is good for the same things as coriander (as
well as for inflammation of the eyes). It soothes burning
in the stomach, slacks breasts swollen with clotted milk,
and eaten boiled or raw it causes an urge to urinate. A
decoction of it with the roots (taken as a drink) resists
poisonous medicines [antidote] by causing vomiting. It
stops discharges of the bowels. The seed is more urinary,
also helping those bitten by poisonous beasts and those
who have taken a drink of white lead. It also breaks
winds. It is mixed effectively with pain-easing medicines,
antidotes and cough medicines.
448
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
449
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
r,;, .
Teucrium polium
after FAGUET — 1888
450
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-75. ELEIOSELINON
suggested: H eleio selinon [Pliny], A pium palustre,
Sii primum genus, Laver vulgo dicitur [Fuchs], A pium palustre,
Sion, [Bauhin], Slum angustifolium [Linnaeus]
— Water Parsnip
H elioselinum grows in watery places. It is bigger than
the cultivated and it has similar effects to the
garden kind. Some call it cam pest re, others, water
smallage, and the Romans, apium rusticum.
3-76. OREOSELINON
suggested: Oreoselinum, Petroselinum sylvestre [Fuchs],
Apium hortense, Petroselinum vulgo [Bauhin],
Apium petroselinum [Linnaeus], Petroselinum hortense [in
Sprague], Petroselinum sativum, Petroselinum crispum,
C arum petroselinum, Apium vulgare — Rock Celery,
Common Garden Parsley
O reoseiinon has a single stalk twenty centimetres high
from a slender root. Around it are little branches
with little heads (similar to hemlock yet a great deal more
slender) on which is the seed — somewhat long, sharp,
thin, with a sweet smell, similar to cumin. It grows in
rocky mountainous places. Taken as a drink in wine both
the seed and root are urinary, and they also expel the
menstrual flow. It is mixed with antidotes, diuretics, and
heating medicines. We must not be deceived thinking
oreoseiinon is that which grows on rocks, for petroselinum
is different. It is also called petroselinum sylvestre ; the
Romans call it apium montanum, and the Egyptians,
anonim.
3-77. PETROSELINON
suggested: Petroseiinum,Amomum officinarum,
Petroselinum macedonicum [Fuchs], Sison amomum [Linnaeus]
[other usage] Petroselinum oreoselinum,
A thamanta oreoselinum — Mountain Parsley
A pium (also called petroselinum ) grows in steep places
in Macedonia. It has seed similar to ammi visagna but
451
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
with a sweeter, sharp, aromatic scent. It is diuretic and
expels the menstrual flow. It is good (taken in a drink) for
gaseousness, griping of the stomach, and colus [colic], as
well as pain in the sides, kidneys, and bladder. It is also
mixed with urinary antidotes.
3-78. IPPOSELINON
suggested: H ipposeiinum, 0 1 us atrum [Fuchs]
Hipposelinum Theophrasti, Smyrnium Dioscorides [Bauhin],
Smyrnium olusatrum [Linnaeus], Petroselinum alexandrinum
— Alexanders, Black Lovage, Horse Parsley, Boeotin Myrrh
see 1-78
H ipposelinon is different to that which is properly
called smyrnium (as we will immediately declare). It
is bigger and paler than the garden selinum ; the stalk
hollow, high, tender (as it were) with lines; the leaves
broader, inclining to purple; over which are filaments
like I i ban Otis [3-87, 3-89]. It is full of flowers standing
together in clusters before it has fully opened. The seed is
black, somewhat long, solid, sharp, aromatic. The root is
sweet in scent, white, pleasing to the taste, and not thick.
It grows in shady places and near marshes. It is used as a
vegetable like selinum [3-74, 3-75]. The root is eaten boiled
or raw, and the leaves and stalks are eaten boiled. They
are prepared either by themselves or with fish, and
preserved raw in brine. Taken as a drink in honeyed wine
the seed is able to expel the menstrual flow. Taken as a
drink or rubbed on it heats those who are chilled. It helps
slow painful urination, and the root does the same. It is
also called grielon, others call it agrioselinon, or smyrnium,
and the Romans call it olusatrum.
452
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Afclepfas* 71
0c$ivalbettttmr!^
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
Tri folium pratense
after FAGUET — 1888
454
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-79. SMURNION
suggested: Smyrnium, Levisticum [Fuchs],
La/isticum vulgare [Brunfels], Ligusticum vulgare [Bauhin],
La/isticum officinale [in Sprague], Ligusticum la/isticum
[Linnaeus], Levisticum officinale, Levisticum vulgare,
A ngelica levisticum — Lovage, Mountain Hemlock
POISONOUS
[other usage] Smyrnium dioscorides, Smyrnium perfoliatum
— Cretan Alexanders
S myrnium (which they call petroselinum in Cilicia)
grows plentifully on the hill called Amanus. This has
a stalk similar to selinum [3-74, 3-75] with many sprigs, but
the leaves are broader towards the ground. They wind
around beneath, somewhat thick, strong and sweet
smelling, with sharpness, and a medicinal scent, and
inclining to a faint yellow in colour. There is a tuft on the
stalk similar to that of dill [3-67]. The round seed is similar
to that of colewort [2-146] — black; sharp, like myrrh
[1-77, 1-73, 4-116] to the taste, making one for one. The
root is sharp, fragrant, tender, full of juice, biting the top
of the throat, with the bark black on the outside, but pale
within or a faint white. It grows in dry rocky or hilly
places and unfilled corners. The root, herb and seed are
warming. The leaves are eaten preserved in brine like
vegetables, and they stop discharges of the bowels. The
root (taken in a drink) helps those bitten by snakes; it also
soothes coughs and orthopnoea [difficult breathing,
asthma], and heals difficult painful urination. Applied, it
dissolves recent oedema, inflammations and hard lumps,
and it brings wounds to a scar. Boiled and applied as a
pessary it causes abortion. The seed is good for the
kidneys, spleen, and bladder. Taken as a drink with wine
it expels the menstrual flow and afterbirth, and is good
for sciatica. It soothes gaseousness in the stomach, and
causes sweat and belching. It is especially taken in a drink
for dropsy, and recurrent fevers.
455
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-80. ELAPHOBOSKON
suggested: Elafobosco Vero [Italian], Peucedanum ostrithium,
I m per atori a ostrithium — Masterwort,
Broad-leaved Hog's Fennel
produces peucedanin — see 3-92
E laphoboscum has a knotty stalk similar to / / ban Otis or to
marathrum [3-81]. The leaves are two fingers-breadth,
very long like terminthos [1-91], broken around in a sharp
way. The stalk has very many little sprigs, with pale
yellow tufts similar to dill flowers [3-67], and the seed is
also similar to dill. The root is about the length of three
fingers, the thickness of a finger, white, sweet and edible.
The new stalks are eaten [as vegetables] like other herbs.
They say that deer having fed on this very herb thereby
resist the bites of snakes, as a result the seed is given with
wine to those bitten by snakes.
Some call it daphicum, others nephrium, ophigenium,
ophioctonon, herpyxe or iyme, the Romans call it cervi
ocellum, the Egyptians chemis, and the Africans, ascacau.
3-81. MARATHRON
suggested: Foeniculum [Fuchs], Foeniculum officinale,
Foeniculum vulgareGermanicum [Bauhin],
Foeniculum capillaceum, Foeniculum foeniculum,
Anethum foeniculum [Linnaeus] — Common Fennel
[other usage] M arathrum [Bedevian] — Waterweed
M arathrum (the herb itself), eaten, is able to draw
down milk [in breastfeeding], as does the seed
taken in a drink or boiled together with barley water. A
decoction of the fronds (taken as a drink) is good for
inflamed kidneys and disorders of the bladder as it is
diuretic. Taken as a drink with wine it is suitable for those
bitten by snakes. Taken as a drink with cold water it
expels the menstrual flow, and lessens the burning heat
of fevers and nausea of the stomach. The roots (pounded
into small pieces and applied with honey) heal dog bites.
Juice from the bruised stalks and leaves (dried in the sun)
is a useful preparation for eye medicines, such as for
restoration of the sight. The green seed together with the
456
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Cnicus benedictus
from ENGLER-PRANTL — 1897
457
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
458
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
leaves and branches is juiced for the same purposes, as
well as the root when the new stems emerge. In Iberia
towards the west it sends out a liquid similar to gum. The
inhabitants cut it down around the middle of the stalk
during its flowering and lay it by the fire so that (as it
were) in a sweat near the warmth it may exude the gum,
and this is more effective than the juice for eye medicines.
It is also called daphicum, nephrium, ophigenium,
ophioctonon, herpyxe, or lyme, the Romans call it cervi
OCdlum, the Egyptians, chemis, and the Africans, ascacau.
3-82. IPPOMARATHRON
suggested: Foeniculum vulgare— Wild Fennel
[other usage] H ippomaratrum libanotis, Cachrys libanotis,
Cachola — Rosemary Frankincense see 3-87
H ippomaratrum Siculus — Hairy Hippomarathrum
H ippomarathrum is the tall wild marathrum. It bears
seed similar to cachryi [3-88]. The root underneath
has a sweet scent, and taken in a drink cures slow painful
urination. Applied, it expels the menstrual flow. A
decoction of the seed and root (taken as a drink) stops
discharges of the bowels, helps those bitten by poisonous
beasts, breaks stones [urinary, kidney], and cleans
jaundice. A decoction of the leaves (taken as a drink)
brings out milk [breastfeeding], and cleans women after
childbirth. There is another herb called hippomarathrum
that has small, slender, somewhat long leaves and the
round seed is similar to that of coriander, sharp, with a
sweet scent, heating. The properties of it are similar to
those above, working more weakly. It is also called
marathrum sylvestre; the Egyptians call it sampsos, the
Magi, thymarnolion, Romans, faeniculum erraticum, some,
faeniculos, others, cuinos, or meum , and the Gauls,
sistrameor.
459
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-83. DAUKOS
suggested: P astinaca sativa, Pastinaca lucida,
Pastinaca dissecta [Loudon] — Parsnip
D aucus carota var boissieri — Parsnip, Wild Carrot
pastinaca is from the Latin for daucus
see 3-59
D aucus (which is also called dircaeum ) from Crete has
leaves similar to marathrum [3-81] yet smaller and
more slender, a stalk twenty centimetres long, and a tuft
similar to coriander. The flowers are white, and in these is
the seed which is sharp, white, rough and sweet smelling
when chewed. The root is about the thickness of a finger,
twenty centimetres in length. It grows in rocky sunny
places. There is another kind similar to wild selinum —
sharp, sweet smelling and hot to one who tastes it, but
that from Crete is the best. The third kind has leaves
similar to coriander, with white flowers, but a head and
seed similar to dill [3-67], On the head is a tuft similar to
pastinaca [3-59], full of long seed, sharp like cumin. A
decoction of the seed of any of them (taken as a drink) is
warming. It expels the menstrual flow, is an abortifacient,
induces the flow of urine, and frees one from griping,
relieving old coughs. A decoction (taken as a drink with
wine) helps those bitten by harvest spiders. Applied, it
dissolves oedema. Only the seed of all the others is
useful, but of the Cretan kind the root is also useful. This
is taken as a drink with wine (especially) against harm
from poisonous beasts.
3-84. DELPHINION
suggested: Delphinium oxysepalum — Tatra Larkspur
250 species in genus — POISONOUS
D elphinium sends out shoots two feet long (or more)
from one root, around which are little cut-in leaves
— thin, somewhat long, similar to dolphins (from which
they are named). The flower is similar to the white violet,
with a purple colour. The seed in the pods resembles
milium [3-158], and (taken as a drink in wine) helps those
bitten by scorpions like nothing else can. They also say
460
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Atracflylfs hirfimotv 67
(fatSobcnctict*
461
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
ffff AtracftylisuuTgarts minor.
< Semeinttc t»ilber
462
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
that scorpions grow faint and become inactive and numb
when the herb is applied to them, and when it is taken
away they are restored to their former state. It grows in
rough sunny places. It is also called di achy si S, diachytos,
paralysis , camaros, hyacinthus, delphinias, nerion, nereadium,
sosacros, or cronios ; the Romans call it buccinus minor.
3-85. DELPHINION ETERON
suggested: Delphinium datum
250 species in genus — poisonous
T he other delphinium is similar to that above, yet is
much more slender in the leaves and branches. It has
the same properties as that previously mentioned, but it
is not altogether as effective. It is also called hyacinthum ;
the Romans call it bucinus.
I Delphinium peregrinum
after FAGUET — 1894
3-86. PURETHRON
suggested: Pyrethrum [Fuchs], Anthemis pyrethrum
[Linnaeus], Anacyclus pyrethrum [in Sprague]
— Pellitory of Spain, Alexander's Foot
[other usage] Pyrethrum tanacetum — Tansy, Cost, Costmary
Pyrethrum balsamita — Pyrethrum, Feverfew
P yrethrum is a herb which sends out a stalk and leaves
like wild daucus [3-83] and marathrum [3-81], and a
tuft like dill [3-67], The root is long, about the thickness of
the big finger, similar to hair curled round, extremely
burning and hot to one who tastes it. It draws out
phlegm; as a result boiled with vinegar and used as a
mouthwash it helps toothache. Chewed, it expels
phlegm; and rubbed on with oil it produces sweats, is
helpful for long-lasting chills, and is excellent for chilled
or paralytic parts of the body. It is also called dory cn ion,
pyrinon, pyroton, pyrothron, or arnopurites ; the Magi call it
pu rites, and the Romans, salivaris.
463
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-87. LIBANOTIS
suggested: Libanotis, A thamanta — Mountain Spignel
see 1-3, 3-60 to 3-62
Libanotis cretensis, A thamanta cretensis, A thamanta annua
— Cretan Carrot, Candy Carrot
H ippomaratrum libanotis, Cachrys libanotis, Cachola
— Rosemary Frankincense
see 3-88, 3-89
L ibanotis has two types — one of which bears fruit
called zed by some (or campsanema), the seed of which
is called cachris [see cachry below]. It has leaves similar to
marathrum [3-81] but thicker and broader, lying like a
wheel on the ground, smelling sweet. The stalk is a foot
and more [in length] with many wings, and on the top is
a tuft in which is a lot of white seed shaped like a
vertebra, round, with corners, sharp smelling, similar to
rosin, and chewed is burning to the taste. The root is
white, very large, and smells of frankincense.
The second kind is similar in everything to the first,
but it bears a broad black seed like sphondylium [3-90],
sweet-smelling, not burning. The root is black on the
outer part, but when broken white. That which is called
infertile (being similar to that mentioned before) sends
out neither stalk nor flower nor seed. It grows in rough,
rocky places. The herb of all of them in general (pounded
and applied) stops haemorrhoids, lessens inflammations
(such as in the perineum) and venereal warts, and
dissolves suppurations that are dissolved with difficulty.
With honey the dry roots clean ulcers, cure griping, and
are good for those bitten by venomous creatures. A
decoction (taken as a drink with wine) expels the
menstrua [menstrual flow] and urine, and applied it
dissolves old oedemas. Juice from the root and herb
(mixed with honey and rubbed on) restores the sight. A
decoction of the seed (taken as a drink) does the same.
Given with pepper and wine it helps epilepsy, old
disorders in the chest, and jaundice. Rubbed on with oil it
causes sweat. Pounded into small pieces and applied
with lolium meal [2-116, 4-140] and vinegar, it is good for
hernia, convulsions, and gout in the feet. Mixed with the
sharpest vinegar it cleans vitiligines [form of leprosy]; and
464
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Melifiophyllum uerum. 28)
STlclifieit.
465
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
4T8
Teiicr/um*
466
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
for abscesses we ought to use the kind that bears no
cachrys [seed], for that is sharp and harsh to the throat.
Theophrastus speaks of a I i ban Otis growing with erica,
with leaves similar to wild lettuce, which is bitter, and has
a short root, but the leaves are paler and sharper than
those of lettuce. A decoction of this (taken as a drink)
purges upward and downward.
3-88. KAGCHRU
SUGGESTED: Cachrys libanotis — Rosemary Frankincense
C achrys panaci folia — Parsnip-leaved Cachrys
Crithmum maritimum, Cachrys maritimum — Samphire,
Sea Fennel, Peter's Cress
see 3-87
C achry is warming and extraordinarily drying, as a
result it is good mixed with sebaceous treatments,
and it is sprinkled on the head and wiped off after three
days for rheumatic eyes.
3-89. LIBANOTIS
suggested: Libanotis coronaria, Rosmarinus [Fuchs],
R osmarinus officinalis [Linnaeus] — Common Rosemary,
Old Man
L ibanotis the Romans call rosmarinus and those who
plait wreaths for the head use it. The shoots are
slender, around which are small leaves — thick,
somewhat long, thin, white on the inside, but green on
the outside, with a strong scent. It is warming and cures
jaundice. It is boiled in water and given to drink before
exercises, and then he who exercises bathes and is
drenched with wine. It is also mixed with remedies for
the removal of fatigue, and in gleucinum [1-67] ointments.
467
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-90. SPHONDULION
suggested: A canthus german ica [Fuchs],
Sphondylium vulgarehirsutum [Bauhin],
Heracleum sphondylium [Linnaeus], Sphondylium branca ursina
— Meadow Parsnip, Cow Parsnip, Hogweed
JUICE CAUSES BLISTERS AND PERMANENT PURPLE PIGMENTATION
S phondylium has leaves somewhat similar to platan us
[1-107] as well as to those of pan ax [3-55]. The stalks
are a foot high (or rather more) similar to marathrum
[3-81]. The seed on the top is double, similar to seselis, but
broader, paler, and huskier, with a strong scent. The
flowers are white, and the root is white like raphanus
[2-137], It grows in moist, marshy countries. The seed of
this (taken in a drink) purges phlegmy stuff through the
bowels. Taken in a drink it cures the liver, jaundice,
asthma, epilepsy and constriction of the womb. Inhaled,
it revives those who fall in a faint. If the head is moistened
with it (with oil), it is good for fever of the brain, lethargy,
and headaches. Applied with rue [3-52] it restrains herpes
[viral skin infection]. The root is given to the jaundiced
and liverish. Shaved and inserted it eliminates the
hardness of fistulas [ulcers]. The fresh juice from the
flower is good for ulcerated and purulent ears. It is also
preserved, placed in the sun like other juices. It is also
called arangem, phalangium, asterium, nisyris, sphondulis,
choradanon, or oenanthe, the Romans call it herba rotularis,
the Egyptians, apsapher, and the Magi, osiris.
3-91. NARTHEX
suggested: Ferula foetida, Ferula puberula,
N arthex asafoeteda — Asafoetida, Assafoetida
T he pith of narthex (which the Romans call ferula)
taken in a drink whilst it is green helps bloodspitting
and stomach complaints. It is given with wine to those
bitten by snakes, and put in as a tent [a curved slice
inserted] it stops flows of blood from the nostrils. Taken
in a drink the seed helps those troubled with griping.
Rubbed on with oil it encourages sweating. The stalks
cause headaches if eaten. They are also preserved in
brine. The ferula frequently brings forth a stalk fifty
468
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Artemi'fialati'foh'a.
Beyfiif.
469
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
2 H Meliflophyllum uulgare*
tParr^errfraut,
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
centimetres long. It has leaves similar to marathrum [3-81]
yet much thicker and bigger, from which (cut in near to
the root) comes the sagapenum [see 3-95] (gum).
3-92. PEUKEDANON
suggested: Peucedanum germanicum [Bauhin]
Peucedanum officinale [Linnaeus], Selinum officinale,
Selinum peucedanum — Hog's Fennel, Sulphur Weed
see 3-80
P eucedanum sends out a thin, slender stalk similar to
marathrum [3-81]. It has thick hairs in abundance
around the root. The flower is yellow; the root black, with
a strong scent, very full of liquid. It grows on shady hill s .
The liquid is taken as follows: the root whil s t still tender is
cut with a knife, and that which flows from it is presently
placed in the shade (for under direct sunlight it is
coloured immediately). Gathering it causes headaches
and brings on vertigo if you do not rub your nostrils
beforehand with rosaceum [1-53], and also wet your head
beforehand with it. The root becomes useless having lost
its liquid. The stalks and the root have their liquid
removed like mandrake and are juiced, but this liquid
does not work as well and quickly becomes useless.
Sometimes a fluid similar to frankincense is found,
already congealed, sticking to the stalks and to the roots.
The juice made in Sardinia and Samothracia is the best,
with a strong scent, yellowish, warming to the taste. It is
good rubbed on with vinegar and rosaceum [1-53] for
lethargy, mental illness, vertigo, and epilepsy, for those
who have suffered for a long time with headaches, for the
paralytic, sciatica, and rubbed on with oil and vinegar for
the convulsed. The scent is good in general for disorders
of the strength. It should be inhaled for womb
constriction, revives those who fall in a faint, and drives
away snakes. It is good for earache dropped in with of oil
of roses, and put into cavities for toothache. It is good
(taken with an egg) for coughs. It is effective for hard
breathing, griping and windy afflictions. It gently
soothes the intestines, lessens the spleen, and
wonderfully helps hard labour in childbirth. A decoction
(taken as a drink) is effective for disorders and matters
related to the bladder and kidneys. It removes blockages
471
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
of the womb. The root is effective for the same purposes,
working less effectively. A decoction of this (pounded
into small pieces) is taken as a drink. Dried, it cleans foul
ulcers, removes scales from bones, and heals old ulcers. It
is mixed with stiff ointments and warm compresses.
Choose roots that are new, uneaten [by worms], sound,
full of scent. The liquid is dissolved in pills with bitter
almonds, rue, and warm bread or dill [3-67]. It is also
called agrion, or agriophyllon ; the Magi call it bonus daemon ,
some, pinasgetum, and the Romans, stataria.
3-93. MELANTHION
suggested: M elanthium hortenseprimum,
Schwartz Kommich [Fuchs], N igella sativa [Linnaeus]
— Common Fennel Flower, Black Cumin
M elanthium alterum Damascenum vocatum,
N igella hortensis aitera [Fuchs], N igella angusti folia [Bauhin],
N igella damascena [Linnaeus] — Love in a Mist,
Devil in a Bush
M elanthium sylvestre, Cuminum sylvestre alterum [Fuchs],
N igella arvensis [Linnaeus]
POISONOUS
M elanthium is a little shrub with slender shoots two
feet in length or more. It has small leaves similar to
senecio [ragwort] but much more slender, and a small little
head on the top like poppy, somewhat long, with side
partitions in which are seed — black, sharp, sweet
smelling, used sprinkled on loaves. It is good applied to
the forehead for those troubled with headaches. It is
poured into the nostrils (after it is pounded into small
pieces with irinum [1-66]) for those who begin to have
liquids dripping from their eyes. Applied with vinegar it
takes away freckles, leprosy, old oedema, and hard
lumps. Applied with old wine it takes away corns that are
first incised or cut around. It is good for toothache, the
mouth washed with it (boiled with vinegar and taeda
[pitch pine]). The nail [fingernail for application]
smeared with it with water, it expels roundworms.
Pounded into small pieces, bound up in a loincloth and
inhaled, it helps those troubled with mucus. Drunk for
several days it draws out the menstrual flow, urine and
472
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
45° Scorci/um*
iPafferbatem#.
473
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
Silphium perfoliatum
after THIEBAULT — 1888
474
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
milk [breastfeeding], A decoction (taken as a drink with
wine) eases difficult breathing. A teaspoonful (taken as a
drink with water) helps those bitten by harvest spiders.
Inhaled, it drives away snakes. They say that it kills if a lot
is taken (in a drink). Some also call this mecon agria metana ;
the Romans call it papaver niger.
3-94. SILPHION
suggested: Laserpitium germanicum, Osteritium [Fuchs],
Imperatoria major [Bauhin], Imperatoria ostruthium [Linnaeus],
Peucedanum ostruthium [in Sprague] — Masterwort,
Broad-leaved Hog's Fennel
There is evidence that the silphium of the ancients was harvested to extinction.
[other usage] Silphium laciniatum — Compass Plant
S ilphium grows in places around Syria, Armenia,
Media and Libya. The stalk, called maspetum, is very
like ferula [3-95], but with leaves similar to apium [3-77]
and a broad seed.
The root is warming, hard to digest, inflative, and
hurts the bladder. It cures scrofulous tumours [glandular
swelling, goitres] and tuberculae [nodules] used in a wax
ointment, or smeared on bruises with oil. With a wax
ointment of irinum [1-66] and cyprinum [1-65] it is suitable
for use in sciatica. Boiled in a pomegranate skin with
vinegar and applied, it takes away abnormal growths
around the perineum. A decoction (taken as a drink) is an
antitoxin for deadly medicines. It tastes good mixed with
sauces and salt. The liquid is gathered from the roots and
stalks that are cut. Of this the best is somewhat red and
transparent (emulating myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116]), and
predominant in its smell, neither scented like leek nor
unpleasant to taste, and easily changing into a white
colour. Although you taste ever so little of the Cyrenian, it
causes dullness over your body, and it is very gentle to
smell, so that if you taste it your mouth breathes but a
little of it. The Median and Syrian are weaker in strength
and they have a more poisonous smell. All the juice is
adulterated before it is dry, sagapenum [3-95] or bean meal
being mixed with it, which you shall discern by the taste,
smell, sight and feel. Some have called the stalk sylphium,
the root magudarim, and the leaves maspeta. The juice is
475
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
the most effective, then the leaves, and then the stalk. It is
inflative and sharp, curing alopecid [baldness] by rubbing
it with wine, pepper and vinegar.
It causes quickness of sight, and smeared on with
honey disperses the dripping of fluids [in the eyes] as
they begin. For toothache it is put into cavities, or put into
a linen cloth with frankincense it is wrapped around the
tooth, or the mouth is washed with it (with hyssop [3-30]
and figs boiled with posca [hot drinks]). It is good applied
to the wounds of those bitten by dogs; and rubbed on or
taken as a drink for injuries from all poisonous beasts and
poisoned arrows. It is rubbed on diluted in oil for those
touched by scorpions. It is poured into gangrene that is
first incised or cut. For carbuncles [infected boils,
malignant skin tumours] it is used with rue, saltpetre
[potassium nitrate] and honey, or by itself. It takes away
corns and fleshy hardnesses that are first cut in all
around. It is first kneaded together with wax ointment (or
the inside of dry figs and vinegar) to cure recent lichen
[skin disease]. For carcomata [carcinomata — now cancer —
old use: disease of the cornea] and polyps [growths from
mucus membrane] it is rubbed on for several days with
cobblers ink or aerugo [verdigris — brass oxide], but you
must pull off protuberances with a pair of pliers. It helps
long-lasting difficulties of the lungs. Diluted in water and
sipped, it immediately clears a voice that is suddenly
hoarse.
Smeared on with honey it represses inflammation of
the uvula. With honey and water it is an effective gargle
for synanchic [abscessed] throats. Taken with meat it
makes skin better coloured, and it is good for coughs
given with a raw egg, and to be sipped for pleurisy. With
dry figs it is effective for jaundice and dropsy. A
decoction (taken as a drink) with pepper, frankincense
and wine dissolves chills. Having made ten grains of it
into a pill give it to swallow to those with tetanus, and to
the opisthotonic [form of tetanus]. Gargled with vinegar
it casts off horseleeches that stick to the throat. It is good
for those whose milk curdles within [breastfeeding], and
taken with vinegar and honey helps epilepsy. A
decoction (taken as a drink with pepper and myrrh [1-77,
1-73, 4-116]) induces the menstrual flow. Taken with
raisins it helps the coeliac [intestinal complaints]. A
decoction (taken as a drink with lye [alkaline salts in
water]) helps sudden convulsions and hernia. It is
476
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Rofmarinus*
Kogroarm.
Rosmarinus
from FUCHS — 1545
477
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
100 Botrys*
(Tmi bcnhaut
478
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
dissolved in pills with bitter almonds, rue [3-52, 3-53,
4-98] or warm bread, and the juice of the leaves [is used]
in the same way, but is considerably less effective. It is
eaten with vinegar and honey and is good for the
arteries, and (especially) for cut-off voices [laryngitis].
They eat it [as a salad] with lettuce instead of eruca. There
is said to be another magudaris [gift of the wise man] that
grows in Libya, the root of which is similar to si I phi um but
somewhat less thick — sharp, with a loose substance and
without juice. It does the same things as silphium.
3-95. SAGAPENON
SUGGESTED: Ferula persica — Ferula, Giant Fennel
produces sagapenum gum resin
S agapenum is the liquid of the ferulacean herb growing
in Media. The best is transparent, a yellow colour
outside but white inside, smelling in-between the juice of
silphium [3-94] and galbanum, and sharp to the taste. It is
good for pains, and is an abortifacient. Taken with wine it
also heals those bitten by venomous creatures. Inhaled
with vinegar it raises up those with a strangled
[congested, blocked] womb. It cleans scars in the eyes,
dullness of sight, things that darken the pupils, and
dripping fluids. It is dissolved as a liquid with rue, water,
bitter almonds and honey, or warm bread.
3-96. EUPHORBION
suggested: Euphorbia amygdaloides — Wood Spurge
Euphorbia officinarum — Poisonous Gum Thistle
see tithymal 4-165 a-f, also 4-170
E uphorbium is a tree-like ferula in Libya that grows on
Tmolus, a hill near Mauretania. It is full of very sharp
liquid. The men there are afraid of it because of its
extraordinary heat, and gather it as follows. Binding
around the tree washed sheep stomachs and standing a
distance away, they pierce the stalk with long tools; and
presently a quantity of liquid flows out (like out of some
jar) into the bellies. When pierced like this it also spills on
the ground. There are two kinds of this liquid: one
479
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
transparent like Sdrcocolld [3-99] (similar to ervum [2-129,
2-131]), but the other that is gathered in the bellies has a
glassy look and is compact. It is adulterated with sarcocolla
and glue mixed together. Choose that which is
transparent and sharp, but that which is tasted is very
hard to test because the tongue having been once bitten
the burning remains for a long time, so that whatever is
brought seems to be euphorbium. The first discovery of it
was when Juba was king of Libya. The juice rubbed on
has the ability to dissolve liquids. A decoction (taken as a
drink) burns for a whole day; as a result it is mixed with
honey and collyriums [1642CE — eye salve; 1748CE —
suppository] depending on the sharpness. It is mixed
with aromatic liquid medicines and is good (taken as a
drink) for sore hips. It removes scales from bones the
same day, but it is necessary for those who use it to secure
the flesh lying around the bones with linen cloths or stiff
ointments. Some claim that no hurt will fall on those
bitten by snakes if (having cut the skin of the head even to
the bone) you pour in this resin (pounded into small
pieces) and sew up the wound.
3-97. CHALBANE
suggested: Ferula galbaniflua — Galbanum Plant
used in incense
G albanum is the resin of the ferula growing in Syria. It
is also called metopium [1-71]. The best is similar to
frankincense, clotted, pure, fat, not woody, with
something like seeds of feru la mixed, with a strong scent,
neither too moist nor too dry. They adulterate it by
mixing it with rosin, bruised beans and ammoniacum
[3-98]. It is warming, burning, attractive and dispersing.
Either applied or inhaled it expels the menstrual flow and
is an abortifacient. Smeared on with vinegar and
saltpetre [potassium nitrate] it takes away freckles. It is
also swallowed down for old coughs, hard breathing,
asthma, hernia, and convulsions. A decoction (taken as a
drink) with vinegar and myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] resists
poison. Taken like this it casts out a dead embryo. It is
applied for pains in the side, and boils or inflammatory
tumours. Inhaled, it raises up the epileptic, and helps
womb congestion and those with vertigo. Inhaled, it
480
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
M atricaria pyrethrum
after THIEBAULT — 1888
481
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
Peucedatius* 3+5
482
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
drives away poisonous beasts, and keeps those rubbed
with it unbitten. Applied all over [the body] with
sphondylium [3-90] and oil it kill s snakes. Smeared on the
tooth or put into a cavity it soothes toothaches, and it
seems to be good for frequent painful urination. It is
dissolved in pills with bitter almonds and water (or rue,
or honey and water, or warm bread, or else with
meconium [4-65], or burned brass, or liquid my nice gale). If
you want to purify it put it into warm water. When
melted the filth from it will swim on top and you can
separate it as follows. Tie the gal ban um in a clean thin
linen cloth, hang it in a brass pot or ceramic jar so that the
bundle does not touch the bottom of the jar. Plug it closed
and pour boiling water over it, for this way the best will
be melted (as through a strainer) but the woody stuff will
remain in the linen cloth.
3-98. AMMONIAKON
suggested: D orema ammoniacum, D orema aurium,
Diserneston gummiferum, Peucedanum ammoniacum
— Gum Ammoniacum Plant, Gum of Ammon, Dorema
A mmoniacum is the herb from which ammoniacan
incense is gathered. It is the liquid of a ferula that
grows in Libya near Cyrene. The whole shrub (together
with the root) is called agasyllis. The best has a good
colour, is not woody, without stones, similar to
frankincense in little clots, clear and thick, without filth,
similar to castor [2-26] in smell, but bitter to the taste. It is
called thrausma. The earthy or stony is called phurama. It
grows in Libya near Ammon's temple and is the juice of a
tree similar to ferula. It is softening, attracting and
warming, and dissolves hardness and inflammation of
bones. A decoction (taken as a drink) brings down the
intestines and is an abortifacient. One teaspoonful of a
decoction (taken as a drink with vinegar) lessens the
spleen, and takes away pains of the joints and hips.
Licked with honey (or sipped with juice of barley water)
it also helps the asthmatic, orthopnoeic [those with
difficulty breathing], epileptics, and those who have
moisture in the chest. It expels bloody urine, cleans white
spots on the cornea [eye], and removes the roughness of
the gene [cheeks, chin, eye sockets]. Pounded into small
483
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
pieces with vinegar and applied, it softens hard lumps
around the spleen and liver. Applied with honey or
mixed with pitch, it dissolves knobs around the joints
[arthritis]. Rubbed on mixed with vinegar, saltpetre
[potassium nitrate], and oil cyprinum [1-65], it is good for
weariness and sciatica (instead of medications to remove
fatigue). It is also called agasyllon, criotheos, or heliastrus,
and the Romans call it gutta.
3-99. SARKOKOLLA
SUGGESTED: Sarcocolla [Bedevian] — Sarcocol
S ar COCOll a is the fluid of a tree growing in Persia (similar
to thin frankincense) dark yellow, and somewhat
bitter to the taste. It is able to close open cuts and sore
wounds, and to stop fluids in the eyes. It is mixed with
plasters. It is counterfeited by gum being mixed with it.
3-100. GLAUKION
suggested: Chdidonium corniculatum, Glaucium corniculatum,
Glaucium leiocarpum, Glaucium phoeniceum
— Red Horned Poppy
see 4-64
G laucium is the juice of a herb that grows at Hierapolis
in Syria. The leaves are similar to the horned poppy
but fatter, scattered on the ground, with a strong scent,
and more bitter to the taste. It has considerable quantities
of saffron-coloured juice. The inhabitants throw the
leaves into a pot, warm it in half-cold ovens until
withered, and afterwards beat them to press out the juice.
It is used for new eye sores because it is cooling.
3-101. KOLLA
SUGGESTED: Glue from the hides of Bulls
T he best glutinum (also called xylocolla or taurocolla ) is
that from Rhodes made from bull hides. It is white
and transparent, but the black glue is bad. Dissolved in
vinegar it is able to take away impetigo [skin infection] and
484
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
486
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
leprosy on the outside of the skin. Diluted with warm
water and smeared on, it prevents burns from blistering.
Diluted with honey and vinegar it is good for wounds.
3-102. ICHTHUOKOLLA
SUGGESTED: Fish Glue
T hat called fish glue is from the intestines of a whale
fish. The best is made in Pontus — white, somewhat
rough, not scabby, very quickly melted. It is good to
include in head plasters, medicines for leprosy, and
medicines for making facial skin smooth.
3-103. IXOS
suggested: Viscum album [Linnaeus], Loranthus europaeus
— Continental Mistletoe
PARTS ARE POISONOUS
T he best ixia is new, the colour of a leek on the inside,
and pale yellow on the outside, with no part rough or
branny. It is made of a certain round fruit (with leaves
similar to box) that grows on the oak. This fruit is
pounded, then washed, and afterwards boiled in water,
but some process it by chewing it. It also grows on the
apple tree, pear tree and other trees. It is able to disperse,
soften, attract, and digest swellings and inflammation of
the parotid gland and other suppurations, mixed equally
with wax and rosin. It heals epinyctis [pustules which
appear only at night] in an adhesive plaster. With
frankincense it softens old ulcers and malignant
suppurations. Boiled (with quicklime, agate stone, or
asiatic [ Centella asiatica — asiaticoside]) and applied, it
reduces the spleen. Smeared with arsenic or sacarach
[saccharate — salt of saccharic acid] it also draws off nails.
Mixed with unslaked lime and wine sediment, its
strength is extended.
487
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-104. APARINE
suggested: A parine vulgdris [Bauhin], Galium aparine
— Catch Grass, Cleavers, Goosegrass, Sticky Willy
A parine has many little square rough branches. The
leaves are at distances lying about in a circle (like
those of rubia [dyers madder]). The flowers are white; the
seed hard, white, round, somewhat hollow in the middle
(like a navel). The herb sticks to cloths, and the shepherds
use it instead of a strainer for milk, for taking out hairs
with it. The seed, stalks and leaves are juiced (taken as a
drink with wine) to help those bitten by harvest spiders
and snakes. The juice dropped in ears cures earache. The
herb (taken in pounded swines' grease) dissolves
scrofulous tumours [glandular swelling] and goitres. It is
also called ampelocarpum , omphelocarpum, philanthropum,
and ixos.
3-105. ALUSSON
suggested: M arrubium alysson, M arrubium alyssum
— Plaited-leaved Horehound, Moonwort
Sprengel says this is A lyssum alpestre [Loudon].
A lysson is a somewhat rough little shrub with round
leaves. The fruit is similar to little double shields, in
which is the somewhat broad seed. It grows in hilly and
rough places. A decoction of this (taken as a drink)
dissolves afflictions in those without fever. When held or
smelled it has a similar effect. Pounded into small pieces
with honey it cleans freckles. Pounded together in meat
and given, it is thought to cure madness in a dog. Hanged
in a house it is said to be wholesome and an amulet for
men and beasts. Hanged on them with a purple cloth, it
drives away sores on cattle. It is also called aspidium,
haplophyllon, accuseton, or adeseton.
488
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
489
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
490
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-106. ASKLEPIAS
suggested: A sclepi as, H /run din aria, Vincetoxicum [Fuchs],
Asclepias albo flore [Bauhin], A sclepi as vincetoxicum [Linnaeus],
Vincetoxicum officinale [in Sprague] — Milkweed
[other usage] A sclepi as syriaca — Milkweed, Silkweed
Thapsia asdepium [Loudon] — Deadly Carrot
POISONOUS
A sclepias sends out many long little branches (similar
to cissus ), and slender roots with a sweet scent. The
flower smells strongly, and the seed is rather like that of
securidaca (that which gives peace). It grows on hills. A
decoction of the roots (taken as a drink in wine) helps
those with griping and those bitten by poisonous beasts.
The leaves are applied for malignant sores in the breasts
and womb. It is also called cission, or cissophullon.
3-107. ATRAKTULIS
suggested: A tractylis mitior, Cartamus sylvestris,
Wilder Feldsaffran [Fuchs], A tractylis vulgaris minor [Brunfels],
Carlin a vulgaris [Linnaeus], A tractylis hirsutior,
Carduus benedictus [Fuchs, Bauhin], Cnicus sylvestris hirsutior
[Bauhin], Cnicus benedictus [Linnaeus], Carduus benedictus
— Blessed Thistle
[other usage] A tractylis gummifera, Carlina gummifera
— White Chameleon, Spindle Wort
A tractylis is a thorn similar to cnicus [ 4-119, 4-190] with
much longer leaves on the top of the shoots, and
most of it is naked and rough. Women use it instead of a
spindle. It has prickly little heads on the top and a pale
flower, but the root is thin and useless. The leaves,
filaments, and fruit of this plant (pounded into small
pieces and taken as a drink with pepper and wine) help
those touched by scorpions. Some relate that those
touched this way are without pain as long as they hold
the herb, and taking it away are in pain again. It is also
called amyron, cnicus sylvestris , or aspidium ; the Magi call it
aphedros, the Egyptians, cheno , the Romans, presepium ,
some, fusus agrestis, and others, colus.
491
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-108. POLUKNEMON
suggested: Polycnemum arvense, Polycnemum recurvum
P olycnemon is a shrub full of sprigs, with leaves similar
to origanum, and a stalk with many joints like
pulegium [3-36]. It does not have a tuft but little clusters on
the top with a certain sharp, pleasant smell. It is effective
(applied green, or dried, with water) for closing open cuts
and sore wounds. You must loosen it after it has been
applied for five days. It is taken in a drink with wine for
slow painful urination and hernia. (Experience has
taught how the little branches bruised in white wine are a
great help for those possessed with the so-called water
delirium.) It is also called clinopodium, polygonatum, colus
iovis, or echeonymon, and the Romans call it puteo-
logonthria.
3-109. KLINOPODION
suggested: Clinopodium vulgare, M elissa clinopodium,
Calamintha clinopodium — Wild Basil, Horse Thyme,
Field Wild Basil
see 3-50, 4-176
C linopodium is a little shrub full of shoots two feet high
that grows on rocks, with leaves similar to serpyllum
[3-46], and flowers like the feet of a bed, set around at
distances, similar to marrubium [3-38]. The herb (and a
decoction of it) is taken as a drink for the bites of
venomous creatures, convulsions, hernia, and slow
painful urination. A decoction (taken as a drink for many
days) draws out the menstrual flow, is an abortifacient,
and casts off hanging warts. It stops discharges of the
bowels boiled down two thirds and taken as a drink (in
wine for the non-feverish, but for the feverish with
water). It is also called cleollicum, ocimoides, or zopyrum.
492
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
R ubia tinctorum
after FAGUET — 1881
493
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
494
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-110. LEONTOPETALON
suggested: Leontice leontopetalum — Leontice, Lion's Leaf,
Lion's Turnip
L eontopetalum sends out a stalk twenty centimetres
long (or rather more) with many wings on whose
tops are pods similar to C/'cer [2-126]. In these are two or
three little seeds. The flowers are a Phoenician colour
[red] (similar to anemone), but the leaves are similar to
colewort [kale], cut-in like those of poppy. The root is
black like rapum [turnip] with abnormal growths (as it
were), some knotty. It grows in fields and among wheat.
A decoction of the root (taken as a drink with wine) helps
those bitten by snakes, quickly relieving their pain. It is
also mixed with enemas or suppositories for sciatica. It is
also called leontopodium, leontium, doricteris, lychnis
sylvestris, doris , pardale, thorybethron, rapeium , papaver
corniculatum, or anemone; the Romans call it papaver cut um,
and semen leoninum.
3-111. TEUKRION
SUGGESTED: Teucrium [Fuchs, Bauhin],
Teucrium flavurn [Linnaeus] — Germander
[other usage] Teucrium creticum, Teucrium hyssopifolium
— Cretan Germander
T eucrium scordioides, T eucrium scorodinia
— Wood Germander, Wood Sage, Garlic Sage
T eucrium is a herb like a rod (resembling germander),
with a thin leaf similar to that of cicer [2-126]. It grows
abundantly in Cilicia (in that part near Gentias), and
Kissas. A decoction (taken green, as a drink with posca
[hot drinks]; or dried, boiled, and taken excessively as a
drink) is able to diminish the spleen. With figs and
vinegar it is applied to the splenical. For those bitten by
poisonous beasts it is applied with vinegar alone
(without figs). Some call this chamedrys, others, teucris.
495
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-112. CHAMAIDRUS
suggested: Chamaedrys vera mas [Fuchs],
Chamaedrys minor repen sjeucrium chamaedrys [Linnaeus]
— Common Germander, Ground Oak, Wall Germander
Chamaedrys vera foemina [Fuchs], BotrysChamaedryoides
[Bauhin], T eucrium botrys — Cut-leaved Germander see 3-130
Chamaedrys vulgaris mas, Veronica teucrium,
Veronica chamaedrys [Linnaeus], Chamaedrys vulgaris foemina
[Fuchs] — Wild Germander, Germander Speedwell
C hamaedrys grows in rough rocky places. It is a small
shrub twenty centimetres long, with bitter little
leaves similar in shape and in the jagging to an oak. The
little flower is pale purple. It must be gathered when full
of seed. Freshly picked (boiled with water and given as a
drink) it is able to help convulsions and coughs, as well as
spleens with hardened swellings, frequent painful
urination, and dropsy at first presentation. It expels the
menstrual flow and is an abortifacient. A decoction
(taken as a drink with vinegar) reduces the spleen. A
decoction is good against venomous creatures, taken as a
drink with wine and smeared on. Pounded into small
pieces, it may also be formed into pills for the purposes
previously mentioned. It is pounded into small pieces
with honey to clean old ulcers. Rubbed on with oil it takes
away dimness in the eyes. Rubbed on, it is warming. The
Romans call it trissago minor, some chamedrops, or Unodrys,
but because it has a certain similarity to teucrium, some
also have called it teucrium.
3-113. LEUKAS
suggested: Leucas foliis rotundus, Phlomis biflora [Roxburgh];
Leucas indica — Leucas
L eucas of the hill [wild] is broader-leaved than the
cultivated. The seed is sharper, more bitter, and
worse-tasting in the mouth, yet it is more effective than
the cultivated. Both of them (smeared on and taken as a
drink) are good with wine against the venom of
poisonous creatures, especially those of the sea.
496
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
497
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
498
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-114. LUCHNIS STEPHANOMATIKE
SUGGESTED: Lychnis — Campion, Lamp Flower,
Maltese Cross
Lychnis codi-rosa, A grostemma codi-rosa — Rose of Heaven
Lychnis coronaria, A grostemma coronaria — Rose Campion,
Mullein Pink
L ychnis has a flower similar to a white violet but almost
purple, interwoven into little crowns, the seed of
which (taken in a drink with wine) helps those bitten by
scorpions. It is also called athanates, aquilonium, vallarium,
geranopodium, corymbion, taurion, sceptrum, or maloion; the
Egyptians call it seneom, the Magi call it the blood of a
menstrual woman, and the Romans call it genicular is, or
vail aria.
3-115. LUCHNIS AGRIA
suggested: Lychnis viscaria — Viscid Campion
L ychnis sy I vestr is is similar to the culivated in all things.
Two teaspoons of a decoction of the seed (taken as a
drink) expels bilious matter through the intestines and
helps those touched by scorpions. They say that when
this herb is laid near scorpions they become numb and
unable to hurt. It is also called tragonoton, atocion,
hieracopodion, or I am pas, the Egyptians call it semura, the
Magi call it genitals of a menstrual woman, the Romans,
intybus agrestis, some, lapathum, or caphaguina, and others,
seris.
3-116. KRINON BASILIKON
suggested: Lilium, L ilium album [Fuchs],
Lilium candidum [Linnaeus] — Madonna Lily
[other usage] Crinum toxicarium, Crinum asiaticum
— White Lily, Lily Asphodel, Poison Bulb
POISONOUS
T he flowers of crinum are used to make wreaths for the
head (called lirium by some), and also to make
ointment called lirinum or susinum [1-62] that soothes the
sinews, and is effective for hard lumps around the womb.
499
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
The leaves are applied to help those bitten by snakes.
Boiled, they are good for burns, and preserved in vinegar
they are good for wounds. The juice from the leaves
(mixed with vinegar or honey and boiled in a brass jar) is
a liquid medicine for old ulcers and new wounds. The
root (roasted and pounded into small pieces with
rosaceum [1-53]) cures and soothes the womb, expels the
menstrual flow, and heals ulcers, making a new skin.
Pounded into small pieces with honey it cures distresses
of the nerves, cleans leprosy and alphos [noncontagious
leprosy], takes off dandruff, clears the face, and removes
wrinkles. Pounded into small pieces with vinegar (or
with the leaves of hyoscyamus [4-69] and wheat flour) it
soothes inflammation from stones [urinary, kidney]. A
decoction of the seed (taken as a drink) is an antidote for
snakebite. Both the seed and the leaves (pounded into
small pieces) are a poultice with wine for erysipela
[streptococcal skin infection]. Some say that there are lily
flowers of a purple colour. Those most effective for the
manufacture of ointment grow in Syria, and in Pisidia
near Pamphylia. It is also called crinanthemom, or
callirium, the Magi call it sanguis martis, Osthenes calls it
aura crocodili, the Egyptians, symphaephu, some, tialos, the
Romans, lilium, some, rosa I u non is, the Syrians, sasa, and
the Africans, abiblabon.
3-117. BALLOTE
suggested: Ballote, M arrubium nigrum [Fuchs],
M arrubium nigrum foetidum [Bauhin], Bat lota nigra [Linnaeus],
Balotta f Odd da — Black Stinking Horehound,
Foetid Horehound
B all ota (or marrubium nigrum ) sends out many black
stalks that are four-cornered and somewhat rough
from one root. The leaves are similar to marrubium [3-38,
3-42] yet bigger, rounder, black and rough, spaced at
distances along the stalk (like apiastrum), with a strong
scent (which is why they have called it apiastrum ); and the
flowers lie around the white stalks in a circle. The leaves
(applied with salt) are good for those bitten by dogs.
Warmed in warm ashes until withered, they repress skin
lesions, and with honey they clean foul ulcers. It is also
called nophtham, notianoscemin, cynosprasion, notheras,
500
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
501
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
Cannabis sativa
after FAGUET — 1880
502
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
nochelis, nostelis, nophrys, gnothuris, or gnotera. The
Romans call it apnium, some, metita, others, ulceraria,
marrubium, or cantherinum , the Egyptians, asphos, some,
esce, and the Magi call it the blood of Isis.
3-118. MELISSOPHULLON
suggested: M elissophyllum verum, M dissen [Fuchs],
Lamium montanum melissae folio [Bauhin],
M dittis mdissophyllum [Linnaeus] — Bastard Balm,
Balm Melittis, Honey Balm
M elissophyllum adulterinum [Fuchs], M elissophyllum vulgare
[Brunfels], M elissa hortensis [Bauhin], M elissa officinalis
[Linnaeus], Apiastrum, Citrago — Lemon Balm, Bee Balm,
Balm Leaf
M dissophyllum some call mdittena because bees
delight in the herb. The leaves and little stalk are
similar to ball Ota [3-117], but these are bigger, thinner, not
so rough, and smell of lemon. A decoction of the leaves
(taken as a drink with wine, and also applied) is good for
those touched by scorpions, or bitten by harvest spiders
or dogs. A decoction of them is a warm pack for the same
purposes. It is suitable for women's hip baths for moving
the menstrual flow, as a mouth rinse for toothache, and
as an enema or suppository for dysentery. A decoction of
the leaves (taken as a drink with saltpetre [potassium
nitrate]) helps those who are ill from mushrooms or
griping. Taken as a linctus [syrup] it helps difficult
breathing, and applied with salt it dissolves scrofulous
tumours [goitres] and cleans ulcers. Smeared on, it
lessens the pains of gout. It is also called mditteon,
mdiphyllon, erythra, or temde, the Romans call it apiastrum,
some, citrago, and the Gauls, merisimorion.
503
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-119. PRASION
SUGGESTED: M arrubium [Fuchs, Brunfels],
M arrubium album vulgare [Bauhin], M entastro [Italian],
M arrubium vulgare [Linnaeus]
— Common White Horehound
[other usage] Prasium majus — Great Hedge Nettle
Prasium minus — Small Sicilian Prasium
see 3-42
P rasium is a shrub with many branches from one root,
somewhat rough, white and four-cornered in the
stems. The leaf is equal to a big finger, somewhat round,
thick, wrinkled, bitter to the taste. The seed lies on the
stalks at distances and the flowers are sharp like the
vertebrae of backbones. It grows in places near houses
and rubbish of buildings.
The dried leaves (with the seed) boiled with water (or
juiced while green) are given with honey for tuberculosis
of the lungs, asthma, and coughs. If dry iris is mixed with
it, it brings up thick stuff out of the chest. It is given to
women not yet cleansed for driving out the menstrual
flow and the afterbirth, to women in hard labour, to those
bitten by venomous creatures, and to those who have
taken some deadly thing as a drink. Yet it is offensive to
the bladder and veins. The leaves (smeared on with
honey) clean foul ulcers, drive away pterygium
[membrane on eye] and gangrenous ulceration of the
cheeks, and lessen pains of the sides. The juice made
from the pressed leaves (thickened in the sun) provides
for the same purposes. Rubbed on with wine and honey
it is a sight restorer, and it purges away jaundice through
the nostrils. Dropped in by itself or with rosaceum [1-53] it
is good for earaches. It is also called eupatorium,
phyllophares, tripedilon, camel's foot, or philophares; the
Egyptians call it asterope, the Magi, sanguis tauri, some,
aphedros, genitura hori, the Romans, marrubium, some,
labeonia , and the Africans, atierberzia.
504
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
505
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
Althaea. 7
506
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-120. STACHUS
suggested: Stachys [Fuchs], Stachys major germanica [Bauhin],
Stachys germanica [Linnaeus] — Hedge Nettle, Woundwort,
Betony
S tachys is a shrub similar to marrubium [3-38] yet
somewhat longer; with many thin leaves, somewhat
rough, hard, with sweet scent, white; with many small
shoots out of the same root, but paler than those of
marrubium. It grows in rough hilly places, and it is
warming and sharp. As a result a decoction of the leaves
(taken as a drink) expels the menstrual flow and
afterbirth.
3-121. PHULLITIS
suggested: Asplenium scolopendrium, Scolopendrium vulgare,
S col open dri u m offi ci n aru m, P hyl I i ti s scol open dri u m,
A di an turn scolopendrium — Hart's Tongue Fern,
Horse Tongue
P hyl litis sends out six or seven upright leaves similar to
rumex [2-141] yet somewhat longer and more
flourishing, smooth on the front parts, but on the back
parts having (as it were) thin little worms hanging. It
grows in shady places and pleasure gardens. It is bitter to
the taste and has no stalk, seed, or flower. A decoction of
the leaves (taken as a drink with wine) is good for those
bitten by snakes. It is helpful for four-footed beasts
[veterinary] poured in through the mouth. It is taken as a
drink for dysentery and diarrhoea. It is also called phyllis,
acaulon, or lapathum sylvestre.
3-122. PHALAGGION
suggested: A nthericum liliago
— Unbranched Lily Spiderwort
A nthericum ramosum, Phalangium ramosam
— Branched Lily Spiderwort
Phalangium species are now A nthericum.
P halangium some call phalangite while others call it
leucacantha. There are two or three (or more) stems
507
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
distant from one another. The flowers are white like lilies
with many in-cuts. The seed is thick and black similar to
half of a lens [lentil] but much more slender. The small
little root is thin and green while being pulled out of the
earth; afterwards it contracts. It grows in hilly places. A
decoction of the leaves, seeds, and flowers (taken as a
drink with wine) helps those touched by scorpions or
bitten by harvest spiders. It also dissolves griping.
3-123. TRIPHULLON
suggested: Trifolium odoratum, Lotus sativa [Fuchs],
Lotus hortensis odora [Bauhin ],Trifolium melilotus-coerulea
[Linnaeus], Trigonella coerulea [in Sprague] — Trefoil
[other usage] Trigonella corniculata, Trigonella eliator
— Wild Trefoil
T ri folium is a shrub higher than a foot, with slender
black stems like onion stalks with branches attached.
These have are three leaves on every sprig (like the lotus
tree). The smell of them when they emerge is like rue
[3-52, 3-53, 4-98], but when grown it is like bitumen. It
sends out a purple flower; the seed is somewhat broad
and rough with at the one end (as it were), a horn. The
root is thin, long and strong. The seeds and leaves (taken
as a drink in water) help pleurisy, frequent painful
urination, epilepsy, those beginning to have dropsy, and
womb congestion. It expels the menstrual flow, but three
teaspoonfuls of the seed or four teaspoonfuls of the
leaves must be given. A decoction of the leaves (pounded
into small pieces and taken as a drink with vinegar and
honey) helps those bitten by venomous creatures. Some
say that a decoction of the entire shrub with roots and
leaves applied with hot cloths to those bitten by snakes
soothes the pains, but if someone with an ulcer is applied
with hot cloths from the water in which another was
healed he feels the same pains as those bitten did. Some
give three leaves in drink for fevers with recurrent
paroxysms, or three seeds with wine for dissolving the
circular flows of acute fevers. The root is also mixed with
antidotes. It is also called oxyphyl I on, menyanthes,
asphaltium, orcnicinum, the Romans call it trifolium, and
some, tri folium acutum odoratum.
508
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Oenanthe,fiue Filip endula, 32}
&ot gtcmbu'rf).
509
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
Alcea. 45
©rcjmarstraut*
510
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-124. POLION
SUGGESTED: T eucrium polium — Cat Thyme, Hulwort,
Mountain Germander
P ol ion the mountainous is also called teuthris, and it is
useful. It is a thin little white shrub twenty
centimetres long, full of seed; with a small head on the
top similar to a little corymbus [flat or slightly convex
inflorescence], like gray hair, strongly scented with a
pleasant smell. Some is shrubbier, not altogether as
strong to smell, and not as effective in working. A
decoction (taken as a drink with vinegar) is able to help
those bitten by venomous creatures, or with dropsy, or
jaundice, and the splenetic; but it causes headaches and
is bad for the stomach. It also induces movement of the
intestines and the menstrual flow. Scattered underneath
(or inhaled) it drives away venomous creatures. Applied,
it heals wounds. It is also called teuthrion, pheuxaspidion,
achaemenis, ebenitis, melosmon, belion, or leontocharon.
3-125. SKORDION
suggested: Scordium [Fuchs], Teucrium scordium [Linnaeus]
— Garlic Germander, Water Germander
S cordium grows in marshy, mountainous places. It has
leaves similar to chamedrys but bigger and not as
cut-in around the circumference. It resembles garlic in its
smell somewhat, and is astringent and bitter to the taste.
Pale red flowers grow from the little four-cornered stalks.
The pounded herb (green or dry) is warming and diuretic
given in drink. Boiled with wine it is good for snakebite
and poisons. For pangs of hunger in the stomach,
dysentery, and frequent painful urination give two
teaspoonfuls with honey water. It expels purulent
thicknesses out of the chest. It helps old coughs, hernias,
and convulsions mixed dry in a linctus [syrup] with
nasturtium [2-185], honey and rosin. Used in a stiff
ointment it relaxes hypochondrium [nervous gastric
disorder] with long-lasting inflammation. Smeared on
with sharp vinegar (or applied with water) it is good for
gout. Applied, it induces the menstrual flow, and heals
wounds. With honey it cleans old ulcers and brings them
511
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
to a scar. Used dry, it restrains abnormal growths of the
flesh. The juice is taken as a drink for the same sores. The
most effective is the Pontic and Cretan. It is also called
scorbium, pleuritis, dysosmon, calamintha sylvestris,
chamedrys, or mithridanios; the Magi call it sanguis podotis,
the Egyptians, apho , and the Romans, trisago palustris.
3-126. BECHION
suggested: Tussilago, Farfaria, U ngula caballina
[Fuchs, Brunfels], Tussilago vulgaris [Bauhin],
T ussilago far far a [Linnaeus] — Coltsfoot
[other usage] Becium bicolor, Ocymum grandiflorum,
Ocymum abyssinicum, Ocymum filamentosum — Becium
Loudon remarks that Bekion is a name for sage in Dioscorides; see 3-145, Orminon.
B echium has six or seven leaves (similar to QSSUS but
bigger) growing from the root — white on the lower
side but green on the upper side — with many corners.
The stalk is twenty centimetres long. It has a pale yellow
flower in the springtime but it quickly throws off both the
flower and the stalk; as a result some have thought the
herb to be without stalk or flower. The root is thin and of
no use. It grows near flowing or gushing watery places.
The leaves (pounded into small pieces and applied) cure
erysipela [streptococcal skin infection] and all
inflammations. It is dried and burned, and the smoke
from it is inhaled through a funnel to cure those troubled
with a dry cough or difficult breathing: opening the
mouth wide they take the smoke in at the mouth and
swallow it down. It breaks up abscesses in the chest, and
the burning root (inhaled) does the same. Boiled in honey
water and taken as a drink it expels dead embryos. It is
also called richion, petrina, peganon , pithion, pagonaton,
chamdeuce, procheton, arcophyton, or chamegiron. The
Egyptians call it saartha, the Romans, tussilago, some,
pharpharia, others, pustulago, and the Bessians call it asa.
512
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-127. ARTEMISIA MONOKLONOS
ARTEMISIA MONOKLONOS ETERA
suggested : Artemisia latifolia [Fuchs],
A rtemisia vulgaris major [Bauhin], A rtemisia vulgaris
[Linnaeus] — Mugwort
Artemisia tenui folia, M atricaria [Fuchs], M atricaria vulgaris
[Bauhin], M atricaria parthenium [Linnaeus],
Pyrethrum parthenium, Parthenium matricaria,
Chrysanthemum parthenium [in Sprague]
— Feverfew Chrysanthemum
Artemisia monoclonos, Tanacetum, Tagetes [Fuchs],
Artemisia tenui folia [Brunfels],
Chrysanthemum vuigare, Tanacetum vulgare [Linnaeus]
— Common Tansy, Buttons
S ome artemisia is polyclonos, some monoclonos. It grows
for the most part in places near the sea. It is a
shrub-like herb similar to wormwood [3-26] but bigger,
and with the leaves coarser. There is one sort that is
prosperous with broader leaves and stems, another
smaller, the flowers little, thin and white, with a strong
smell; it flowers in the summer. Some (in the
Mediterranean parts) call a slender-branched little herb
with a single stalk, extremely small, abundant with
flowers of a tawny yellow colour, Artemisia monoclonos.
The scent of this is sweeter than of the other. They both
warm and relieve. Boiled, they are good put into
womens' baths for driving out the menstrual flow and
afterbirth, as an abortifacient, for the closure and
inflammation of the womb, the breaking of stones
[urinary, kidney], and stoppage of urine. Much of the
herb applied to the lower part of the bowels induces the
menstrual flow, and the juice (kneaded together with
myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116] and applied) draws from the
womb as many things as does bathing; three
teaspoonfuls of the filaments is given in drink to bring
out the same things. If anyone has the herb artemisia with
him while travelling it dissolves weariness, and if you
wear it on your feet it drives away venomous beasts and
devils. After blood has hardened around the joints, take
the bigger branches with rosaceum [1-53] and (having
boiled them in a pot) rub the sick man all over with this as
513
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
he goes to sleep. It helps womens' womb congestion
considerably, and soothes slow painful urination and
rupture of the opisthotonum [form of tetanus]. It is also
called toxetesia, ephesia , anactorios, sozusa, lea, or lycophrys ;
the Magi call it sanguis hominis, it is also called
chrysan themon, the Romans call it salentia, some, serpyllum,
others, herba regia , rapium , tertanageta, or artenisia , the
Gauls call it ponem, and the Dacians, zuoste.
3-128. ARTEMISIA LEPTOPHULLOS
suggested: A rtemisia herba alba — Artemisia
A rtemisia grows around rivulets and hedges and in
sown fields. The flowers and bruised leaves of this
give off the smell of sampsuchum [3-47], Therefore if
anyone is suffering in his stomach he should pound this
herb well with oil of almonds, and make (as it were) a
warm compress and lay it on the stomach, and he shall be
healed. If anyone is pained in his strength, having mixed
the juice of this with oil of roses let him rub with it, and he
shall be whole.
3-129. AMBROSIA
suggested: A mbrosia maritima — Sea Ambrosia,
Oak of Cappodocia, Oak of Jerusalem
A mbrosia artemisi folia — Common Ragweed
A mbrosia is a little shrub three feet in height, full of
branches, with small leaves like rue around the
emergent stalk. It has small stems full of little seeds like
little bunches of grapes, which never flower — smelling
pleasant like wine. The root is slender, two feet long. In
Cappadocia it is plaited into wreaths for the head. It is
able to repress and repel, and is smeared on as an
astringent for fluids that have come down. It is also called
botrys, or botrys artemisi a, the Romans call it caper
sylvaticus, or apium rusticum, and the Egyptians, merseo.
514
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-130. BOTRUS
suggested: Botrys [Fuchs], Botrys ambrosioides vulgaris
[Bauhin], Chenopodium botrys [Linnaeus] — Purple Goosefoot
Chamaedrys vera foemina [Fuchs], Botrys Chamaedryoides
[Bauhin], T eucrium botrys — Cut-leaved Germander
see 3-112
B otrus is a yellowish herb like a shrub, broad-spread,
having many wings, and the seed grows around all
the branches. The many leaves are similar to chicory, and
all of it has a wonderful sweet scent, and so it is also laid
among cloths. It grows especially near running waters
and brooks. A decoction (with wine) is used as a drink to
ease difficult breathing. The Cappadocians call this
ambrosia, and it is also called artemisa.
3-131. GERANION, GERANION
ETERON
suggested: Geranium tertium, H erba Roberti, Robertiana
[Fuchs], Geranium roberti anum [Linnaeus] — Herb Robert,
Adder's Tongue, Fox Geranium
Geranium sextum [Fuchs], G eranium sanguinem [Linnaeus],
Geranium praetense, Geranium fuscum — Crane's Bill
G eranium has a jagged leaf similar to anemone but
longer; a root somewhat round, sweet when eaten.
A teaspoonful of a decoction (taken as a drink in wine)
dissolves swellings of the vulva. It has slender little
downy stalks two feet long; leaves like mallow; and on
the tops of the wings certain abnormal growths looking
upward (like the heads of cranes with the beaks, or the
teeth of dogs), but there is no use for it in medicine. It is
also called pelonitis, trica, or geranogeron, the Romans call it
echin aster, the Africans iesce ; it is also called alter urn
geranium by some, but others call it oxyphyllon, mertryx,
myrrhis cardamomum, or origanum. The Magi call it
hierobryncas, the Romans, pulmonia , some, cicotria, some,
herba gruina, and the Africans, ienk.
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ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-132. GNAPHALION
suggested: Gnaphalium [Fuchs],
Gnaphalium vulgaremajus [Bauhin], Gnaphalium germanicum,
Filago germanica [Linnaeus] — Cudweed
[other usage] Gnaphalium citrinum, Gnaphalium stoechas,
H e/ichrysum stoechas — Cassidony, Gold Flower,
Golden Tufts
S ome use gnaphalium leaves instead of flocks [scraps of
wool] because they are white and soft. The leaves
(given to drink with hard wine) are good for dysentery. It
is also called hires, mertryx, anaxeton or anaphalis, the
Egyptians call it semeon, the Gauls, gdasonen, the Romans,
centunculus, some tucularis, and some, albinus.
3-133. TUPHE
suggested: Typha [Fuchs], Typha palustris major [Bauhin],
Typha latifoiia [Linnaeus], Typha major — Bulrush,
Larger Reedmace, Geat Reed Mace, Cat's Tail, Marsh Pestle
Typha angusti folia [Linnaeus] — Lesser Reedmace
Typha angustata — Reed Mace, Small Bulrush
T yphe sends out a leaf similar to Cyprus [1-124], and a
stalk smooth and equal, surrounded around on the
top with thick flowers which turn into down. It is also
called panicula. The flowers (used in old washed swines'
grease) cure burns. It grows in marshes and places with
standing water.
3-134. KIRKAIA
suggested: Circaea lutetiana
— Common Enchanter's Nightshade
Circaea alpina — Alpine Enchanter's Nightshade
C ircea (also called diraea ) has leaves similar to garden
sol an urn nigrum [4-74], many shoots, many small
black flowers, and seed similar to milium [3-158] in certain
(as it were) little horns. The three or four roots are twenty
centimetres long, white, sweet smelling, warming. It
grows chiefly in some rocky, windy and open sunny
516
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
places. As much as three pounds of the root (bruised and
steeped a day and a night in three pints of sweet wine
and taken as a drink for three days) cleans the womb. The
seed (taken in liquids and sipped) draws down milk.
3-135. OINANTHE
suggested: Oenanthe, Filipendula [Fuchs],
Filipendula vulgaris [Bauhin], Spiraea filipendula [Linnaeus],
Filipendula hexapefala [in Sprague] — Dropwort [Mabberley]
[other usage] Oenanthephellandrium, Phellandrium aquaticum
— Water Hemlock, Horsebane, Fine-leaved Water Dropwort
POISONOUS
O enanthe has leaves like staphulinus, with white
flowers and a thick stalk twenty centimetres long.
The seed is like at ri pi ex [1-120, 2-145], and it has a great
root with many round heads. It grows on rocks. The seed,
stalks and leaves are given to drink (with honeyed wine)
to discharge the afterbirth. The root is good (with wine)
for slow painful urination and jaundice. It is also called
leucanthon, or kerascomion.
3-136. KONUZA
suggested: Conyza odorata, Pluchea odorata — Ovrabla
C onyza squarrosa — Great Fleabane
Conyza canadensis, Erigeron canadensis — Fleabane, Erigeron
C onyza magna. The conyza called little has a better
smell, but the bigger sort has a higher stalk, broader
leaves and a strong scent; both have leaves similar to the
olive but these are rough and thick. The height of the
stalk of the bigger sort is two feet, but the lesser is a foot.
The flower is foul, a tawny yellow, somewhat bitter,
falling into down. The roots are useless. The shrub is
scattered underneath with the leaves, and the smoke of
these is inhaled to drive away poisonous beasts, keep off
gnats, and kill fleas. The leaves are usefully laid on those
bitten by snakes, and on swellings and wounds; and the
flowers and leaves are taken in a drink with wine for
expulsion of the menstrual flow, as an abortifacient, and
for slow painful urination, griping and jaundice. A
517
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
decoction (taken as a drink with vinegar) helps epilepsy,
and a decoction as a hip bath cures disorders in the womb
and cleans away the menstrual flow. The juice (applied)
causes abortions. The herb rubbed on with oil is good for
chills. Thinly applied, it cures headaches. It is also called
cynozematitis, danais, tanachium, phycos, ischys, or dinosmos,
the Magi call it brephoctonos, some, anubias, or hedemias,
the Egyptians, ceti, the Romans, intubus, some, militaris
mina, delliarion, febrifuga, phragmosa, alusteri, or pissan.
C onyza parva. There is also a third kind of conyza but
the stalk is thicker and softer and the leaves bigger than
the smaller sort. It is weaker than the bigger, not fat but
with a much stronger smell, more unpleasant and less
effective; it grows in watery places. It is also called pan i OS
or I i ban otis; the Magi call it cronos.
3-137. EMEROKALLIS
suggested: H emerocallis fulva — Lemon Lily,
Y ellow Day Lily
H emerocallis has leaves and a stalk similar to a lily,
green like leeks, the flowers in threes or fours at
every flowering, similar in their shape to a lily when they
begin to open, with a colour very similar to ochre. The
root is pounded finely like the great bulbus [2-200, 2-201]
and taken as a drink or applied with honey in wool as a
pessary for drawing out water and blood. The leaves
(pounded into small pieces and applied) lessen
inflammation of the breasts that comes with childbirth,
and inflammation of the eyes. The root and leaves are
effective applied on burns. It is also called
hemerocatallacton, lilium sylvestre, crinanthemon ,
porphyranthes, bulbus sanguineus, or anticantharon; the
Egyptians call it iocroi, the Romans, bulbus, some, lilium
agreste, some, lilium marinum , and the Africans, abiblabon.
518
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-138. LEUKOION, LEUKOION
THALASSION
suggested: Leucoion, Viola alba , Leucoion-Dioscorides album
[Fuchs], H esperls hortensis [Bauhin],
H esperis matronalis var hortensis subvar albi flora [Linnaeus]
— Dame's Violet, Dame's Rocket, Damask Violet
Viola-lutea [Fuchs], Leucoion-D ioscorides luteum [Brunfels],
Leucoium luteum vulgare [Bauhin], Cheiranthus cheiri
[Linnaeus] — Wallflower
[other usage] Leucoion [Theophrastus], Viola alba [Fuchs],
Leucoium bulbosum vulgare [Bauhin], Leucojum vernum
[Linnaeus] — Spring Snowflake
L eukoiotl is commonly known but there are different
coloured flowers, for it is found white, yellowish and
azure [blue], or else it is purple. The fittest of these for
medicinal use is the yellowish, the dried flowers of which
(boiled) are good for bathing inflammation around the
womb and expelling the menstrual flow. Used in wax
ointments they cure cracks in the perineum, and with
honey they cure apthas [small ulcers]. Two teaspoonfuls
of a decoction of the seed (taken as a drink with wine or
applied as a pessary with honey) draw out the menstrual
flow and afterbirth, and are an abortifacient. The roots
(smeared on with vinegar) repress the spleen and help
gout. It is also called basil ion; the Romans call it opula alba,
some call it viola alba, augustia, viola matronalis, passarina,
or polyphura.
3-139. KRATAIOGONON
suggested: Crataegus monogyna — Common Hawthorn
Crataegus orientalis — Eastern Thom
Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus oxyacantha
— Midland Hawthorn
C rataeogonon (also called crateonon ) has leaves similar
to mdampyrum, many knotty shoots growing out of
one root, and a seed similar to millet. It grows for the most
part in shady and shrubby places, and it is extremely
sharp. It is said by some that drinking the seed causes a
woman to bring forth a male child, if after the cleansing of
519
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
the menstrual flow and before the time of sexual
intercourse, she drinks three times a day (while fasting)
thirty grains with two cups of water for forty days, and
lets the man drink it similarly for as many days and then
lie with her.
3-140. PHULLON
suggested: Bryophyllum calycinum, Bryophyllum pinnatum
— Air Plant, Floppers, Life Plant
see 4-192
P hyllum grows on rocks. That which is called
thdygonon has (as it were) moss, the leaf greener than
the olive, a thin short stalk, a slender root, a white flower,
and a bigger seed, rather like poppy. Arrhenogonon is
similar in other things to that previously mentioned but
differs in having the seed (similar to olives) coming in a
cluster out of the flower. It is said that a decoction of
arrhenogonon (taken as a drink) produces male offspring,
but thelygonum causes females. Crateus relates this
concerning these, but he seems to me to relate these
things according to the report of them [not experience].
Some call this elaeophyllon , some, bryonia.
3-141. ORCHIS
suggested: Orchis mas latifolia [Fuchs, Brunfels],
Cynosorchis latifolia [Bauhin], Orchis militaris [Linnaeus]
— Military Orchid, Soldier Orchid
[other usage] Orchis undulata — Wavy-leaved Orchis
0 rchis longibracteta — Sicilian Orchis
H erminum monorchis, Ophrys monorchis — Musk Orchis
O rchis (also called cynosorchis ) has leaves scattered on
the earth around the stalk, and the bottom of it is
similar to an olive — tender but narrower, smooth and
longer; a stalk the height of twenty centimetres on which
are flowers of a purple hue. The root is bulbous,
somewhat long, narrow like the olive, double, one part
above, the other beneath, one full but the other soft and
full of wrinkles. The root is eaten (boiled) like bulbus
[2-200, 2-201]. It is said that if the bigger root is eaten by
520
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
men, it makes their offspring males, and the lesser eaten
by women makes them conceive females. It is further
related that women in Thessalia give it to drink with
goat's milk. The tenderer root is given to encourage
venereal diseases, and the dry root to suppress and
dissolve venereal diseases. In a decoction (taken as a
drink) the one dissolves the other. It grows in stony,
sandy places.
3-142. ORCHIS ETEROS
suggested: T riochis-serapias mas [Fuchs], Triorchis mas minor
[Brunfels], Orchis morio [Linnaeus] — Green Winged Orchid
Tri orchis foemina [Fuchs], Orchis fucum [Bauhin],
Ophrys insectifera [Linnaeus], Ophrys apifera [in Sprague]
— Bee Orchid
[other usage] Serapias lingua, Serapias cordigera — Serapias
T esti cuius alter (also called serapias — as Acreas does for
the many uses of the root) has leaves similar to leek,
somewhat long but broader and fat, winding around in
the wings; little stalks twenty centimetres long, the
flowers almost purple. The root (similar to testicles) lies
under, and applied is able to dissipate oedema, clean
ulcers, and repress herpes [viral infection]. Smeared on it
destroys fistulas, and soothes inflamed parts. Sprinkled
on dry it stops nomae [grazer disease, eats away muscle,
tissue and bones], and a decoction (taken as a drink with
wine) cures the intestines. There is a similar story told of
this as there is of the dog's stone [cyanosorchis 3-141],
3-143. SATURION
suggested: Satyrion-trifolium [Fuchs],
Orchis tri folia major [Bauhin], Orchis bi folia [Linnaeus],
H abenaria bi folia [Brunfels]
[other usage] Satyrium hircinum, Orchis hircina
— Lizard Orchis
S atyrium some call tri folium because it bears leaves in
threes (as it were) bending down to the earth, similar
to rumex [2-141] or lily, yet smaller and reddish. It has a
naked stalk a foot long, a white flower similar to a lily, a
521
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
bulbous root as big as an apple — red, but white within,
similar to an egg, sweet to the taste and pleasant in the
mouth. One ought to drink it in black hard wine for
severe spasms, and use it if he wishes to lay with a
woman. For they say that this also is an aphrodisiac.
3-144. SATURION ERUTHRONION
suggested: Satyrium-basilicum mas [Fuchs, Brunfels],
Orchis palmata angusti folia minor [Bauhin],
Gymnadenia conopsea [Brunfels], Orchis con opsea [Linnaeus]
— Gnat-like Orchid
Satyrium-basilicum foemina, Satyrium-basilicum mas alterum
[Fuchs], Orchis maculata [Linnaeus], Orchis Fuchsii [in
Sprague] — Early Purple Orchid, Dead Man's Finger
[other usage] Erythronium dens-canis — Dog's-tooth Violet
Modern satyrium species are only found at the Cape of Good Hope.
S atyrium erythronium has a seed similar to flax seed but
big, firm, glittering and smooth. It is said that it is an
aphrodisiac, like scincus. The bark of the root is somewhat
thin and red, but the inside is white, pleasant in the
mouth to one who tastes it, and sweet. It grows in sunny,
hilly places. It is related that the root (taken into the hand)
encourages venereal diseases, but even more so when a
decoction is taken as a drink with wine. It is also called
satyrium erythraicum, melium aquaticum , entaticon,
priapiscus , morion, satyriscus, or testiculum satyri ; the
Romans call it molorticulum veneris.
3-145. ORMINON EMERON
suggested: Orminum sativum [Fuchs],
Horminum sclarea dictum [Bauhin], Salvia sclarea [Finnaeus]
— Clary
Orminum sylvestre, Salvia sylvestris [Fuchs],
H orminum pratense foliis serratis [Bauhin],
Salvia pratensis [Finnaeus] — Meadow Sage, Clary
H orminum domesticum, Salvia horminum — Common Sage,
Annual Clary
C ultivated horminum is an herb similar to marrubium
in the leaves, but the stalk is four-cornered and half a
522
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
foot high. There are abnormal growths similar to husks
around this (as it were) looking towards the root, in
which are two different types of seed. In the wild it is
found round and dark, but in the other it is somewhat
long and black. Use is made of this and it is also thought
that a decoction (taken as a drink with wine) is an
aphrodisiac. With honey it cleans away dr gem a [small
white ulcer on the cornea], and also white spots on the
corneas of the eyes; and smeared on with water it
dissolves oedema and extracts splinters. The herb
(applied) does the same things. The wild one is stronger;
as a result it is mixed with compound ointments
(especially with gleucinum [1-67]). The Romans call it
geminatis, and the Dacians, hormia.
3-146. EDUSARON
suggested: Hedysarum crinitum
— Crook-podded Hedysarum
H edysarum coronarium — French Honeysuckle, Soola Clover
Hedysarum alhagi, Alhagi maurorum, Alhagi mannifera
— Camel Thorn, Egyptian Manna Plant
Biserrula pelecinus — Hatchet Vetch
H edysarum (called pelecinus by the ointment makers)
is a shrub with little leaves similar to cicer [2-126],
but pods like little horns in which is the red seed similar
to an axe that has two edges (from which it is named). It is
bitter to one who tastes it; a decoction (taken as a drink) is
good for the stomach, and it is also mixed with antidotes.
Taken as a pessary with honey before sexual intercourse
it is thought to hinder conception. It grows among barley
and wheat.
3-147. ONOSMA
SUGGESTED: 0 nosma echioides — Hairy Onosma
also: 0 nosma tauricum, Onosma oriental e, Onosma sericeum
O nosma has soft leaves similar to those of anchusa,
somewhat long, the length of four fingers but the
breadth of one finger, scattered on the earth very like
those of anchusa [4-23 to 4-26]; but it is without stalk, seed,
or flowers. The little root lies underneath, somewhat
523
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
long, weak, thin, and reddish. It grows in rough places. A
decoction of the leaves of this (taken as a drink in wine) is
an abortifacient. They say also that if one with child walks
over this herb, she aborts. It is also called osmas, phlonitis,
or ononis.
3-148. NUMPHAIA
suggested : Nymphaea Candida [Fuchs],
Nymphaea alba major [Bauhin], Nymphaea alba [Linnaeus]
— Water Nymph, White Water Lily, Flatter Dock
N ymphaea grows in marshes and standing waters; it
has many leaves similar to those of the Egyptian
bean, yet smaller and somewhat longer, all from the same
root, some (in a way) standing above the water, and
others also in the water. The flowers are white, similar to
a lily, with the middle a saffron colour, but when it has
done blooming it becomes round in a circumference like
an apple, or the head of poppy — black; in which is a
black seed, broad, thick, clammy to the taste. The stalk is
smooth, not thick, black, similar to that of the Egyptian
bean. The root is black, coarse, like a sceptre, and it is
harvested in the autumn. This (dried and taken as a drink
with wine) helps coeliac [intestinal] complaints and
dysentery, and reduces the spleen. The root is applied for
disorders of the stomach and bladder; with water it takes
away psoriasis, and applied with pitch it cures baldness.
The root is taken as a drink for lecherous dreams because
it relieves these. It causes a faintness of the genitals for a
few days if one drinks it continuously, and a decoction of
the seed (taken as a drink) does the same. It seems to be
called nymphaea because it loves watery places. It is found
in abundance at Helis on the river Anigrus, and in
Aliartus, Boeotia.
524
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-149. NUMPHAIA ALLE
suggested: Nymphaea lutea [Fuchs],
Nymphaea lutea major [Bauhin], Nymphaea lutea [Linnaeus],
Nymphaea luteum, N uphar luteum [in Sprague]
— Yellow Water Lily, Brandy Bottle
T here is also another nymphaea (the flower of which is
called n uphar) which has leaves similar to that
previously mentioned, but it has a coarse white root, and
a glittering yellowish flower (like a rose). A decoction of
the root and seed (taken as a drink in black wine) is good
for the excessive menstrual discharges of women. It
grows in places around Thessalia near the river Peneus. It
is also called nymphona.
3-150. ANDROSACES
suggested: A ndrosace lactea — Androsace, Sea Navelwort
also: Androsace obtusi folia
nd rosaces grows in sea-bordering places in Syria. The
L Y.herb is thin, with slender, bitter, leafless branches,
having on its head a pod containing the seed. Two
teaspoonfuls of a decoction (taken as a drink with wine)
is able to encourage much urine in dropsy; and a
decoction of the herb and the seed (taken as a drink) does
the same. It is smeared usefully upon gout. It is also called
pi eras, leuce, or thalassia.
3-151. ASPLENON
suggested: Asplenium adiantium-nigrum,Adiantium-nigrum
— Black Maidenhair Fern, Black Spleenwort, Black Oak Fern
A diantum capillus veneris, H erba capillorum-veneris
— Maidenhair, Venus's Hair, Capillaire
see 3-121
A splenon has many leaves (similar to the creatures
called centipedes and millipedes) growing round
about out of one root. It grows on walls and shady rocks
or pebble stones — stalkless, flowerless, seedless, [its
leaves] cut-in like those of fern, yellowish and rough
underneath, but green above. The leaves (boiled with
525
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
vinegar and taken as a drink for forty days) are able to
reduce the spleen, but you must also rub the spleen with
the leaves pounded into small pieces with wine. It helps
slow painful urination, hiccups and jaundice, and breaks
stones in the bladder. It is thought to be a cause of
barrenness (used alone or hung about one with the
spleen of a mule) but they say that to cause barrenness it
must be dug up when the night is moonless. It is also
called scolopendrium, splenium, hemionion, pteryx, lonchitis,
aturius, phrygia, phrygitis, or philtrodotes, while the Magi
call it the blood of a weasel.
3-152. EMIONITIS
suggested: Hemionitis, Scolopendria, Lingua cervina [Fuchs],
Lingua cervina officinarum [Bauhin], A splenium scolopendrium ,
Phyl litis scolopendrium [Linnaeus] — Hart's-tongue Fern
[other usage] H emionitis [Bedevian] — Mulewort, Hemionitis
H emionitis puts out a horned leaf similar to
dracunculus [2-196b] (like the third-day moon). The
many slender roots are underneath, but it bears no stalk,
seed, or flower. It grows in rocky places. The herb is
astringent to the taste and is taken as a drink with vinegar
to reduce the spleen. It is also called splenium.
3-153. ANTHULLIS
suggested: A nthyllis vulneraria, Anthyllis prior
— Kidney Vetch, Lady's Fingers, Wound Wort
Anthyllis barba jovis — Jove's Beard, Jupiter's Beard
A nthyllis cretica — Cretan Kidney Vetch
T here are two types of anthyllis. One has leaves similar
to lens [lentils], and upright little branches the height
of twenty centimetres, with the leaves soft, the root
slender and little. It grows in sandy sunny places,
somewhat salty to the taste. The other kind is similar in its
leaves and small branches to chamepitys [3-175], but they
are rougher, shorter, and sharper. The flower is a purple
colour, smelling extremely strong, the root like chicory.
Two teaspoonfuls of a decoction (taken as a drink) has
considerable strength to help frequent painful urination
526
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
and inflamed kidneys. Pounded into small pieces and
given as a pessary (with rosaceum [1-53] and milk) they
soften inflammations of the womb. They also heal
wounds, and a decoction (taken as a drink with vinegar
and honey) of that which is similar to chamepitys heals
epilepsy (among other things). It is also called an thy 1 1 on,
anthemis, eranthemis, leucanthemon, soranthis, or f/os
campestris; the Romans call it sot aster.
3-154. ANTHEMIS, ANTHEMIS
PORPHURANTHES, ANTHEMIS
MELANANTHES
suggested: Chamaemelon leucanthemum [Fuchs, Brunfels],
Chamaemelum vulgare, Leucanthemum Dioscoridis [Bauhin],
M atricaria recucita, M atricaria chamomitta [Linnaeus]
— Wild Chamomile
Chamaemdum chrysanthemum [Fuchs], A nthemis tinctoria
[Linnaeus] — Dyers Chamomile, Yellow Chamomile
Chamaemdum eranthemon [Fuchs], Consolida regia [Brunfels],
Consolida regal is arvensis [Bauhin],
D elphinium consolida [Linnaeus] — Forking Larkspur
T here are three kinds of anthemis (differing only in
their flowers) the branches twenty centimetres long,
shrubby, with many wings. The smaller branches are
little, thin, many, with little round heads, within them
flowers of gold colour; but outside there are round about
white, yellowish, or purple leaves, the quantities like
those of rue. It grows in rough places and byways. It is
gathered in the spring. The roots, flowers, and herb have
a warming, relieving strength. Taken as a drink of a
decoction (or by bathing) they expel the menstrual flow,
are abortifacient, expel stones [urinary, kidney], and
induce urine. They are taken as a drink for gaseousness,
and for suffering from intestinal obstruction; they clean
away jaundice, and cure liver ailments; and a decoction
of them is used in warm packs for the bladder. The most
effective for those troubled with stones is that of a purple
colour, which in all respects is the bigger, properly called
eranthemon. That called leucanthemon is more urinary, as
well as chrysanthemon. Smeared on they cure ulcers in the
inner angle of the eye. Chewed, they cure apta [aptha —
thrush in children or candidiasis]. Some also use it as a
527
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
suppository (beating it finely with oil) for recurrent
fevers. The leaves and flowers must be stored when they
have been pounded apart and made into little balls. The
root is dried and stored. When there is need of it
sometimes give two parts of the herb, sometimes one part
of the flower or root. Sometimes the opposite — give two
parts of the flower and one of the herb, doubling it by
turn every other day — and you must drink it in diluted
honey. (Chamomile pounded into small pieces with
rosaceum [1-53] cures fevers. It is an effective plant for
those who are reasonably well. The shortest is best and
grows in sandy places, and physicians remove them at
the beginning of spring). It is also called leucanthemon, or
eranthemon because it flowers in the spring; some call it
chamemelum because of the similarity of its smell to
apples; some call it melanthemon, chrysocome, or cal lias; the
Romans call it malium, and the Africans, astertiphe.
3-155. PARTHENION (AMARAKON)
suggested: A maracinum, Parthenium, Cotula foetida [Fuchs],
Chamaemelum foetidum [Bauhin], An themis cotula [Linnaeus]
— Stinking Chamomile, Mayweed [Mabberley]
[other usage] 0 riganum amaracus — Amaracus
0 riganum dictamnus, D ictamnus creticus, A maracus dictamnus
— Dittany of Crete, Burning Bush
P arthenium has thin leaves (similar to coriander); the
white flowers are in a circle, their middle is yellow,
and they are somewhat poisonous to smell and bitter to
taste. Dried and taken as a drink with vinegar and honey
(or with salt) it is able to drive phlegm and cholera
downward and out, and to help the asthmatic and
depressive. The herb (without its flower) is effective
(given in drink) for urinary stones and the asthmatic. A
decoction of it is fit for bathing a hardened and inflamed
womb. It is applied (with its flowers) for skin
inflammation and other inflammation. It is also called
amaracum, leucanthemon , an themis, chamemelum,
chrysocalis, melabathrum, or flos campestris; the Romans call
it Solis oculus, or millefolium, the Etruscans, cautan, and the
Africans, thamacth.
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THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-156. BUPHTHALMON
suggested: Buphthalmum, Oculis bovis [Fuchs],
Chamaemelum inodorum [Bauhin], M atricaria inodora
[Linnaeus] — False Chamomile, Scentless Mayweed
[other usage] Buphthalmum graveolens— Ox-eye
Buphthalmum salici folium — Yellow Ox-eye Daisy
Anthemis arvensis, Chamaemelum arvensis, Buphthalmum
— Corn Chamomile
It is believed that the buhphthalmum of Pliny is a species of anthemis [Loudon],
B uphthalmum sends out somewhat slender tender little
stalks, leaves like marathrum [3-81], yellowish flowers
— bigger than anthemis, similar to eyes (from which it is
named). It grows in fields and around towns. The flowers
of this (pounded into small pieces with wax ointment)
dissolve oedema and hard lumps. They say that a
decoction (taken as a drink after coming out from a bath)
causes the j aundiced to have a good colour for some time.
You must gather buphthalmum while the moon is
increasing. It is used against fears, devils, enchantments,
and poisons (turning aside these things); and if anyone
chews the root (and afterwards spits it out) it
immediately stops mucus, eases toothache, and loosens
the bowels. It is also called each I an, or balsam in a, the Magi
call it haemorrha, some, genitura M ercurii, semen
incorruptibile, or mnesitheos; the Romans call it
kappacorania, and the Africans, narat.
3-157. PAIONIA ARREN, PAIONIA
THELEIA
suggested: Paeonia foemina [Fuchs], Paeonia communis
[Bauhin], Paeonia officinalis var foemina [Linnaeus]
— Female Peony, Garden Peony
POISONOUS
P eonia (or glycyside) some call pentoboron, and they call
the root paeonia. The stalk grows as high as two feet
with many branches. The male has leaves similar to the
carya [1-178], but the female is jagged in the leaves
(similar to smyrnium [3-78, 3-79]). It sends out certain
pods on the top of the stalk similar to almonds, which
opened are found to contain five or six little red grains
529
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
similar to those of the pomegranate — black in the
middle, inclining to purple. The root of the male is about
the thickness of a finger and twenty centimetres in
height, astringent to taste, white. On the root of the
female there are seven or eight tubers similar to acorns,
like asphode/us [2-199]. The root is given to women who
are not cleansed after childbirth. The amount of an
almond (of a decoction taken as a drink) induces the
menstrual flow. A decoction (taken as a drink with wine)
helps pains in the intestines, jaundice, inflamed kidneys,
and pain in the bladder. A decoction (boiled in wine and
taken as a drink) stops discharges of the bowels. A
decoction of ten or twelve red grains of the seed (taken as
a drink in black hard wine) stops bloody excessive
discharges (in women). Eaten, they help those who feel
gnawing at the stomach, and taken as a drink and eaten
by children they take away the beginnings of stones
[kidney, urinary], A decoction of as much as fifteen
grains of the black [part] (taken as a drink in honey water
or wine) is good both for suffocation that comes from
nightmares, and for suffocation of the womb and
disorders of the mother [pregnancy]. Peony grows on the
tops of the highest mountains.
The herb peony is plucked up in the heat of the dog
days [summer] before sunrise; it is hanged about one and
is good against poisons, bewitching, fears, and devils and
their assaults, and against fevers that come with
shivering whether by night, or day, or paroxysm. And it
is said that (sometimes) growing on a hill where there
were devils, it drove them away.
The male peonie some call orobelium, orobax,
haemagogum , paeseden, menogenion, menion, paeonium,
panthiceratos, idaei dactyli, aglaophotis, theodonium, or
selenion, the Magi call it selenogonon, some, phthisi and the
Romans, casta.
530
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-158. LITHOSPERMON
suggested: Lithospermum, Lithospermum sativum [Fuchs],
Lithospermum majuserectum [Bauhin],
Lithospermum officinale [Linnaeus], M ilium soiis,
— Common Gromwell, Pearl Plant
S ome call lithospermon 'Heraclean' because of the
strength of the seed, which is also called lithospermon.
It has leaves similar to those of the olive, but longer,
broader and softer, and those around the bottom lie on
the ground. The small branches are straight, slender, the
thickness of the sharp bulrush, strong, woody. On the
cloven top of them is a springing-out (similar to little
budded stems) with long leaves, among which is a round
white stone seed similar to the little ervum [2-129, 2-131].
It grows in rough eminent places. A decoction of the seed
(taken as a drink with white wine) is able to break stones
[kidney, urinary], and expel urine. Some call it
aegonychon, exonychon, leontion, lapis leoninus, gorgonium,
tantalitis, or diosporon, the Romans call it columba, and the
Dacians, gonoleta.
3-159. PHALARIS
suggested: Phalaris arundinacea, Phalaris canariensis
— Canary Grass, Phalaris
P halaris sends out many little stalks from slender
useless roots — the breadth of two hands, knotty,
similar to reeds, resembling those of zea [T riticum zea ], yet
more slender and sweet in taste. The leaves are similar to
those of zea. The white seed is abundant like millet, and
somewhat long. The herb (cut and juiced with water or
wine and so taken as a drink) is able to be effective for
disorders of the bladder and sperm; a spoonful of a
decoction (taken as a drink with water) is good for the
same purposes.
531
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-160. ERUTHRODANON
suggested: Rubiasativa [Fuchs], Rubia tinctorum [Fuchs,
Linnaeus], R ubia tinctorum sativa [Bauhin] — Dyer's Madder
Rubia sylvestris [Fuchs], Rubia sylvestris laevis [Bauhin],
Gallium molugo — Hedge Bedstraw [Mabberley]
[other usage] Rubia peregrin a — Wild Madder
S ome call eruthrodanum 'erythodanon'. The red root is
suitable for dying. Some of it is wild, some sown — as
in Thabana, Galilee and Ravenna, Italy and in Caria —
sown among the olives, like in the fields. It is sown
usefully because much gain is made of it. The stalks of it
are four-cornered, long, rough, similar to those of aparine,
but in every respect bigger and stronger, having the
leaves at distances at every joint lying about like stars in a
circle. The seed is round, at first green, afterwards red,
after that it is ripe, black. The root is thin, long, red, and
diuretic; as a result a decoction (taken as a drink with
honey and water) helps jaundice, sciatica, and paralysis.
It draws out quantities of thick urine, and sometimes also
blood. Those who drink it must be washed every day and
the difference of their voided excrement viewed. A
decoction of the stalk with the leaves (taken as a drink)
helps those bitten by venomous creatures, and a
decoction (taken as a drink with vinegar and honey)
reduces the spleen. The root (inserted as a pessary) is an
abortifacient, and draws out the menstrual flow and
afterbirth. Smeared on with vinegar it cures white
vitiligines [form of leprosy]. The root some call dracons,
some, cinnabar, the Romans, rubia passiva, the Etruscians,
lappa minor, the Egyptians, sophobi, some ereuthodanum,
and it is also called teuthrion.
3-161. LONCHITIS
suggested: Lonchitis, Polypodium lonchitis, Serapias,
A spidium lonchitis — Shield Fern, Holly Fern
see 3-162
L onchitis has many leaves very similar to leek, yet
broader and somewhat red, broken about towards
the root (and as it were) lying on the ground. It also has a
532
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
few around the stalk, on which are flowers — similar to
little hats in shape (similar to comical persons opening
their mouths wide) — and they are black, but some white
thing arises from them, from opening the mouth wide
towards the lower lip (as it were) a little tongue. The seed
is shut in three-cornered cases shaped like a spearhead,
from which it was thought worthy of its surname. The
root is similar to daucus. It grows in rough, dry places. A
decoction of the root of this (taken as a drink) with wine is
diuretic. It is also called cestron, or medusa; the Romans
call it venerea, or lanceola.
3-162. LONCHITIS ETERA
SUGGESTED: Shield Fern, Holly Fern — Lonchitis,
Polypodium lonchitis, Serapias, Aspidium lonchitis
see 3-161
L onchitis altera (also called the rough lonchitis ) sends
out leaves similar to scolopendrium [3-121], but
sharper, bigger, and more jagged. A decoction (taken as a
drink with vinegar) is able to cure wounds and remove
inflammation, and it reduces the spleen. The Romans call
it longina, or calabrina.
3-163. ALTHAIA
suggested: A Ithaea [Fuchs], Althaea D ioscoridis et Plinii
[Bauhin], Althaea officinalis [Linnaeus], Bismalva, Hibiscus
— Marsh Mallow, White Mallow
Ithaea is a kind of wild mallow, the downy leaves
L JLround like cyclamen. It has a rose-like flower, the
stalk two feet high, and a clammy root, white within. It is
called althaea for its many properties and various uses.
Boiled in honey and water or wine (or pounded by itself)
it is good for wounds, parotitis [inflamed glands e.g.
mumps], swellings, suppurations, inflamed breasts,
disorders of the perineum, bruises, flatulent tumours,
and distension of the nerves. It dissolves and ripens, or
breaks and brings to a scar. Boiled (as above) and
kneaded together with swines' grease, goose grease or
turpentine it is good in a pessary for inflammation and
closures of the womb. A decoction of it does the same.
533
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
also expelling the so-called bodily wastes. A decoction of
the root (taken as a drink with wine) helps dysentery,
pains in the hips, trembling, and those troubled with
hernia; and it soothes toothache, boiled with vinegar and
the mouth washed with it. The seed (either green or dry)
pounded into small pieces and rubbed on with vinegar in
the sun cleans vitiligines [form of leprosy]. Rubbed on
with oxdaeum [from oxalis or wood sorrel] it prevents hurt
from poisonous beasts. It is effective against dysentery,
vomiting blood, and excessive discharges from the
bowels. A decoction of the seed (taken as a drink) is good
against bee stings, and those of all small creatures (taken
as a drink in wine or posca [hot drinks]); and the leaves
(with a little oil) are laid on bites and on those who are
burned. The root thickens water (pounded into small
pieces, mixed, and placed out in the open air). It is also
called ibiscus, or althiocon.
3-164. ALKEA
suggested: A Icea [Fuchs, Brunfels], A Icea vulgaris major
[Bauhin], M alva alcea [Linnaeus] — Hollyhock [Mabberley]
[other usage] A Icea cannabina, Althea cannabina
— Egyptian Hemp
Icea is a kind of wild mallow having cut-in leaves
L JLsimilar to those of the holy herb. It has three or four
stalks, a bark similar to cannabis [3-165], a little flower
similar to a rose, and five or six broad white roots almost a
foot long. A decoction of these (taken as a drink with
wine or water) cures dysentery and hernias.
3-165. KANNABIS EMEROS
SUGGESTED: Cannabis sativa [Fuchs, Brunfels, Linnaeus],
C annabis gig an tea — Hemp
C annabis is a plant of considerable use in this life for
twisting very strong ropes. It bears leaves with a bad
scent, similar to the ash; long hollow stalks, and a round
seed. Eaten in quantities these quench conception. The
herb (juiced while green) is good for earaches. It is also
called cannabium, schoenostrophon, or asterion; the Romans
call it cannabis.
534
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-166. KANNABIS AGRIA
suggested: H ibiscus cannabinus — Hemp Mallow,
Deccan Hemp
Cannabis sativa var indica — Indian Hemp
D atisca cannabina — Cretan Hemp Plant, Bastard Hemp
C annabis sylvestris bears little stems similar to those of
althea [3-163] but darker, sharper and smaller. The
leaves are similar to the cultivated but sharper and
darker. The reddish flowers are similar to lychnis [3-114,
3-115], with the seed and root similar to althea. The root
(boiled and applied) is able to lessen inflammation,
dissolve oedema, and disperse hardened matter around
the joints. The bark of this is suitable for twining ropes. It
is also called hydrastina, the Romans call it terminalis, and
some, cannabis.
3-167. ANAGURIS [ONAGURIS]
SUGGESTED: Anagyris foetida — Bean Clover, Stinking Wood
A nagyris is a shrub similar to a tree, its leaves and
stems very similar to agnus castus [1-135], with an
extremely strong scent. The flowers are similar to brassica,
the seed in long little horns shaped like kidneys,
variously coloured, solid. They harden when the grapes
ripen. The tender leaves of this (pounded into small
pieces and applied) repress oedema. A teaspoonful is
given to drink in passu m [raisin wine] for asthma, as well
as for expulsion of the afterbirth and menstrual flow, and
as an abortifacient. It is given with wine for headaches. It
is hung as an amulet on those who have hard labour [in
giving birth], yet one must at once (after the woman's
delivery) take off the amulet and put it away. The juice of
the root dissolves and ripens. The seed (eaten)
encourages vomiting excessively. It is also called
anagyros , acopon, or agnacopum.
535
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-168. KEPAIA
UNKNOWN
C epea is a succulent similar to portulaca [4-168], yet it
has darker leaves, and a thin root. A decoction of the
leaves (taken as a drink with wine) helps slow painful
urination and those who have a scabbed bladder, and
helps most taken as a drink with a decoction of the roots
of that asparagus called my acanthus.
3-169. ALISMA
suggested: Plantago-aquatica, Alisma, D amasonium [Fuchs],
Plantago-aquatica lati folia, A iisma plantago-aquatica [Linnaeus]
— Water Plantain, Mad-dog Weed
see 1-11
A lisma has leaves similar to plantain but narrower and
bending down toward the earth. The stalk is
slender, single, more than a foot high, with little heads
similar to a thyrsus [staff]. The flowers are thin, white, and
somewhat pale. The roots are like black hellebore — thin,
sweet-smelling, sharp, somewhat thick; it loves watery
places. One or two teaspoonfuls of a decoction of the root
(taken as a drink with wine) is good for those who have
eaten sea hare [2-20], or been bitten by a toad, and those
who have drunk opium [antidote]. It helps griping and
dysentery by itself (or taken as a drink with an equal
amount of daucus seed). It is also good for convulsions,
and disorders of the womb. The herb itself (applied) stops
discharges of the intestines, expels the menstrual flow,
and soothes oedema. It is also called alcea, damassonium,
acyron, or lyron.
536
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-170. ONOBRUCHIS
suggested : H edysaru m on obrychi s, On obrychi s sati va,
Onobrychis viciaefolia — Sanfoin, Holy Clover, French Grass
Onobrychis christagalli — Medick Vetch
see 3-41
O nobrychis has leaves similar to lens [lentils] but a
little longer, a stalk twenty centimetres long, a
purple flower, and a small root. It grows in moist
undisturbed places. The herb (pounded into small pieces
and smeared on) is able to dissolve tubercles [growths],
and a decoction (taken as a drink with wine) cures slow
painful urination. Rubbed on with oil it encourages
sweating. It is also called onobrochilos, eschasmene,
hypericum, corion, or chamepitys , the Romans call it opaca,
some, brichilata, lopta, or iuncinalis, and the Dacians,
aniassexe.
3-171. UPERIKON
suggested: Hypericum, Perforata [Fuchs], Hypericum vulgare
[Bauhin], Hypericum perforatum [Linnaeus]
— Klamath Weed [Mabberley]
H ypericum is a shrub twenty centimetres high, full of
reddish branches, with a yellowish flower that
(crushed with the fingers) yields a bloody juice — which
is why it is called androsemon. It has leaves similar to rue.
The small pods are somewhat rough, long in the
circumference, the size of barley, in which is a black seed
smelling of rosin. It grows in tilled and rough places. It
has a diuretic strength, and inserted as a pessary moves
the menstrual flow. A decoction (taken as a drink with
wine) drives away fevers with paroxysms ocurring every
third or fourth day. A decoction of the seed (taken as a
drink for forty days) cures sciatica. The leaves (applied
together with the seed) heal burns. It is also called
androsemon, corion, or chamepitys, because the seed is
similar in smell to the rosin of pine.
537
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
3-172. ASKURON
suggested: Ascy rum [Fuchs], A ndrosaemum hirsutum
[Bauhin], Hypericum hirsutum [Linnaeus]
Siberian St John's Wort — Hypericum ascyron
A scyrum is also a kind of hypericum, differing in size,
bigger in the branches, more full of sprigs, and with
the small leaves appearing a purple colour; it bears
yellow flowers, and fruit (similar to hypericum ) smelling
of rosin, and bruised (as it were), staining the fingers with
blood, so that it is called acrosemon for this. A decoction of
the fruit (taken as a drink with a pint of honey water) is
available for sciatica. It expels much bilious excrement. It
must be given continuously until they are cured.
Smeared on, it is good for burns. It is also called ascyroides,
or acrosemon.
3-173. ANDROSAIMON
suggested: An drosaeu mum [Fuchs],
Hypericum montanum [Linnaeus] — Mountain St John's Wort
[other usage] A ndrosaemum hircinum, Hypericum hircinum
— Stinking St John's Wort, Goat-scented St John's Wort
A ndrosaemum officinale, Hypericum androsaemum — Tutsan,
Park Leaves, All Saint's Wort
A ndrosemum differs from hypericum and from ascyrum
being a shrub of thin branches, full of sprigs. The
little stems are a purple colour, the leaves three times or
four times bigger than rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98], which send
out a juice similar to wine when bruised. It has many
wings on the top open on each side and feathered,
around which are small little flowers of a yellowish
colour. The seed is in a little cup similar to that of black
poppy (as it were) marked with lines and points. The
filaments yield a rosin-like smell when bruised. Two
teaspoonfuls of the seed of this (pounded into small
pieces and taken in a drink) expel bilious excrement, and
it especially cures sciatica. One must sip water after the
purge. The herb (smeared on) heals burns and stops
blood. It is also called dionysias, or ascyron.
538
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
3-174. KORIS
SUGGESTED: Hypericum coris — Heath-leaved St John's Wort,
Coris
Coris monspdien sis, Symphytum petraeum [Bedevian]
— Montpellier Coris
see 3-88, 4-9
oris has a leaf similar to erica but smaller, fatter and
^^red. It is a shrub twenty centimetres high, pleasant-
tasting, sharp, and with a good smell. A decoction of the
seed of this (taken as a drink with wine) induces the
passage of urine and the menstrual flow. A decoction
(taken as a drink with pepper) helps those bitten by
harvest spiders, or with sciatica, tetanus, or chills. Used
with oil it is also an effective ointment for severe spasms.
The root of this (boiled with wine and taken as a drink) is
thought to help those who faint often. It is necessary for
the patient when drinking it to be well covered all over
for it causes the whole body to sweat, and from this one
recovers agility. Some also call this hy peri cum.
3-175. CH AM AIPITU S
suggested: Chamaepitys lutea vulgaris [Bauhin],
Teucrium chamaepitys [Linnaeus], Ajuga chamaepitys [in
Sprague] — Ground Pine, Yellow Bugle
C hamaepitys is a bow-backed herb creeping on the
ground, with leaves similar to the smaller
sempervivum [4-89, 4-90, 4-91], but much thinner, fatter
and rough, thick around the branches, with a smell of
pine. The flowers are thin and yellow, (or white) and the
root is like that of chicory. A decoction of the leaves of this
(taken as a drink with wine for seven days) cures
jaundice. A decoction (taken as a drink with honey water
for forty days) cures hip pains. It is given (effectively) for
liver complaints, frequent painful urination and
inflamed kidneys, and it is good for griping. In Heraclea,
Pontus they use it as an antidote, giving a decoction to
drink against aconitum [4-77, 4-78]. Polenta (moistened
with a decoction of the herb) is applied for the purposes
mentioned above. Pounded into small pieces with figs
(and given as a pill) it soothes the bowels. Taken with
539
ROOTS OF AKANTHODA or PRICKLY PLANTS
honey, SCdles aeris [flakes of fish of the air], and rosin it
purges. Applied as a pessary (with honey) it expels things
from the womb. Smeared on with honey it dissolves hard
lumps in the breasts, heals wounds, and represses herpes
[viral skin infection]. It is also called pitusorusis, or
orizelon, in Pontus they call it holocyron, or wild bryony,
the Athenians call it ionia, in Euboea it is called sideritis;
the Magi call it sanguis M inervae, the Romans, cupripum ,
and the Dacians dochela.
3-176. CHAMAIPITUS ETERA,
CHAMAIPITUS TRITE
suggested: A juga chia — Chia Bugle
Ajuga iva, T eucrium iva — Herb Ivy, Musky Bugle
A juga reptans — Bugle Weed, Common Bugle
T here is also another chamaepitys with branches a foot
long, curved in the shape of an anchor, with thin
sprigs, filaments similar to that above, and a white flower,
but a black seed. This also smells of pine. There is a third
kind called the male. It is a smooth little herb, with thin
small leaves, white and rough, with a coarse white stalk,
small yellowish flowers, and a little seed with wings. This
also smells of pine. These have a similar strength to that
previously mentioned, yet are not as effective.
Delphinium peregrinum
after FAGUET — 1894
540
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
200 B eronica fylueftris altera*
Vlcgdin.
541
3S 2
PoTygonum mas*
Polygonum mas
from FUCHS — 1545
542
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
BOOK FOUR: OTHER
HERBS & ROOTS
I n the three books before this, best beloved Areius, I
have spoken of aromatic matters, oils, ointments, trees,
living creatures, cereals, vegetables, roots, juices, herbs
and seeds. In this the fourth book we will discuss herbs
and roots not previously mentioned.
4-1. KESTRON
suggested: Betonica [Fuchs], Betonica purpurea [Bauhin],
Betonica officinalis [Linnaeus], Stachys officinalis [in Sprague],
Stachys b&onica — Betony, Woundwort, Bishop's Wort,
Hedge Nettle, Windflower
[other usage] Cestrum nocturnum — Night Jasmine
C estron is a herb with a thin four-cornered stalk the
height of a foot or more, the leaves long, soft, similar
to the oak, jagged all around, smelling well. They are
bigger towards the root, and on the top of the stalks lies
the seed encased in an ear like thymbra [3-45]. They ought
to dry the leaves after gathering, as there is the most use
of these. The roots underneath are thin like hellebore. A
drink of a decoction of these (with honey water)
encourages vomit, throwing up phlegmy stuff. A
decoction of a teaspoonful of the leaves is taken as a drink
with honey water for convulsions, hernia, disorders of
the womb, and womb constriction. Three teaspoonfuls
are given with a pint of wine to those bitten by venomous
creatures. The herb (applied) helps those bitten by
venomous creatures, and a teaspoonful of a decoction
(taken as a drink with wine) helps against deadly poisons
[antidote]. If anyone drinks it (beforehand) he shall not
be hurt, although he takes a deadly medicine. It is also
urinary, and draws out the menstrual flow. Four
teaspoonfuls of a decoction (taken as a drink with ten
cups of honey water) purge. It is good with honey for
tuberculosis of the lungs, and for spitting up pus, but the
leaves must be dried, pounded into small pieces, and
stored in a ceramic jar. It is called psychotrophon because it
is found in the coldest places. The Romans call it vetonica,
or rosmarinus.
Betony - Betonica officinalis,
Stachys officinalis
after FAGUET — 1888
543
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
4-2. BETTONIKE
suggested: Betonica sylvestris una [Fuchs],
Caryophyllus sylvestris vulgaris latifolius [Bauhin],
D ianthus earth u si an or um [Linnaeus] — Carthusian Pink
Betonica coronaria, D ianthus caryophyllus,
Caryophyllus domesticus — - Carnation, Picotee, Clove Pink
B etonica, britannica, or vettonica is an herb with leaves
similar to lapathum sylvestre [2-140] but darker, with
more filaments, and astringent to the taste. It sends out a
stalk that is not great, and a short thin root. The leaves are
juiced and thickened by stirring in the sun or over a fire.
It is astringent — suitable for gangrenous ulceration in
the mouth and tonsils. It is available for everything else
that needs an astringent. Betony grows in meadows and
hilly, clean, mild places around shrubs. It preserves both
the souls and bodies of men. It is effective against
night-walking, harmful places, and difficult sleep; and it
is recommended for all types of cures. It has a root all red,
and with a good scent. The leaves are like leek, the
middle of the leaves is a reddish colour, and they are
three-cornered into an upright stalk. On them are purple
flowers. The strength of it is as follows. Bruised when it is
new and applied to the wound of a broken head it makes
it painless. It heals wounds and extracts broken bones. It
does this if changed every day until it is healed. Boiled
with water and applied with hot cloths, or rubbed
around the temples with bitumen it heals headaches. The
smoke of the root is also inhaled for them.
4-3. LUSIMACHION
suggested: Lysimachia purpurea [Fuchs], Epilobium hirsutum
[Linnaeus] — Apple Pie, Codlins and Cream
Lysimachia lutea [Fuchs], Lysimachia vulgaris [Linnaeus]
— Common Yellow Loosestrife
see 4-118
L ysimachia sends out thin stalks a foot high (or even
higher) at the joints of which thin leaves emerge,
similar to those of the willow, astringent to the taste. The
flowers are red or a golden colour. It grows in marshy
places and near water. The juice of the leaves is
544
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Polygonum bistorta
after FAGUET — 1892
545
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
280 Lyfimachia Ititea,
< Seel tPeiberid^
546
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
astringent, and a liquid medicine of it, enema, or
suppository, is good for throwing-up blood and
dysentery. In a pessary it stops women's excessive
menstrual discharges. The herb is effective stuffed in the
nostrils for flows of blood. It is also a wound herb and
staunches blood. The smoke (inhaled) has very sharp
fumes so that it both drives away snakes, and kill s flies. It
is also called lytron.
4-4. POLUGONON ARREN
suggested: Polygonum-mas [Fuchs], Polygonum lati folium
[Bauhin], Polygonum aviculare [Linnaeus] — Knotgrass,
Centinode, Knotweed, Armstrong
medicinal, food
T he male polygon on is a tender herb with many slender
branches surrounded with joints, creeping along the
earth like grass, the leaves similar to those of rue [3-52,
3-53, 4-98] but somewhat longer and softer. It has seed by
every leaf, which is why it is called the male. The flower is
white or purple.
The juice (taken as a drink) is astringent and cooling.
It is effective for bloodspitters, discharges from the
intestines, biliousness, and slow painful urination. It also
evidently causes an urge to urinate, and taken as a drink
with wine it helps those bitten by venomous creatures.
Taken one hour before the fit it helps the circuits of acute
fevers. It stops women's excessive menstrual discharges
used as a pessary, and dropped in the ears it is good for
ear sores and their pus. Boiled with wine (and also
adding honey) it is excellent for ulcers on the genitals.
The leaves are applied for burning of the stomach,
throwing-up blood, for herpes [viral skin infection],
erysipela [streptococcal skin infection], inflammation, and
fresh wounds. It is also called polygonaton, cynochalem,
herculea, asphalton, chiliophullon, clema, polycarpon,
carcinethron, peuthalida, myrtopetalon, cnopodion, zarithea, or
pedal ion. The Egyptians call it thephin, some, stemphin, the
Magi, genitura herois, some, unguis muris, the Romans,
semi nails, some, stopinaca, and the Africans, chulum.
547
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
4-5. POLUGONON THELU
suggested: Polygonum amphibium — Amphibious Persicaria
Polygonum hydropiper — Persicaria, Water Pepper
T he female polygon on is a little shrub with one stalk,
tender, similar to a reed, with continuous joints lying
on one another like a trumpet, and all around the joints
there are small leaves similar to those of the pine. The
root is of no use. It grows in watery places. It is astringent
and cooling, doing the same things as that above because
it is not weaker. The Romans call it seminal is.
4-6. POLUGONATON
suggested: Polygonatum latifolium [Fuchs],
Polygonatum multiflorum [in Sprague] — Solomon's Seal
Polygonatum angustifolium [Fuchs], Convallaria verticillata
[Linnaeus], Polygonatum verticil latum [in Sprague],
Polygonatum officinale, Polygonatum vulgare, Polygonatum,
Convallaria polygonatum, Sigillium sa/omonis
— Solomon's Seal, Sealwort
P olygonatum grows on hills, a shrub higher than a foot,
with leaves similar to laurel but broader and
smoother, somewhat similar in taste to a quince or
pomegranate, for it tastes astringent. At every emerging
of the leaves are white flowers in a larger quantity than
the leaves, the number to be reckoned from the root. It
has a white root — soft, long, with many thick joints,
strongly scented, the thickness of a finger — good
applied on wounds, and to take away spots on the face.
4-7a. KLEMATIS
suggested: Clematis daphnoides [Fuchs, Bauhin],
Vinca minor [Linnaeus] — Running Myrtle, Periwinkle
C lematis grows in good soil. It has small vinelike
branches, as much as the thickness of juncus [4-52,
1-16], and a little leaf similar to laurel both in shape and
colour, but much smaller. A decoction of the leaves and
the stalks of this (taken as a drink with wine) lessen
excessive discharges of the bowels and dysentery.
548
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Polygonatum vulgare
after HEYNS — 1888
549
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
Clematis daphnoides* zoj
©mjjrun.
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Applied in a pessary with milk and rosaceum [1-53] (or
cyprinum [1-65]) it cures pains of the womb. Chewed, it
eases toothache; applied, it helps those bitten by
venomous creatures. It is said that a decoction (taken as a
drink with vinegar) helps those bitten by snakes. It grows
in un tilled ground. It is also called daphnoides, myrsinoides,
polygonoides, or philetaerium.
4-7b. KLEMATIS ETERA
suggested: Clematis cirrhosa — Evergreen Clematis
Clematis angustifolia — Virgin's Bower
Clematis alpina — Alpine Clematis
POISONOUS
T here is another clematis which sends out a vinelike
branch, reddish, flexible; the leaf extremely sharp to
the taste and ulcerating. It winds around trees like smilax
[4-144, 4-145]. The seed of this (pounded into small pieces
and taken as a drink with water or honey water) drives
phlegm and bile downward. The leaves (applied as a
poultice) drive away leprosy. They are preserved with
lepidium [2-205] to eat with meat [vegetable]. It is also
called epigetis, the Egyptians call it phylacuum, and the
Romans, ambuxus.
4-8. POLEMONION
suggested: Polemonium caeruleum — Charity,
Jacob's Ladder, Greek Valerian
P olemonia has thin little winged branches, with leaves
a little bigger than rue [3-52, 3-53, 4-98], but longer
like those of polygonum [4-4, 4-5] or calamint. On the top
of them is what looks like clusters of berries, in which are
black seeds. The root is a foot long, whitish, similar to
Struthium [2-193]. It grows in hilly, rough places.The root
of this is taken as a drink in wine against venomous
creatures, and with water for dysentery, painful
urination, and sciatica. A teaspoonful with vinegar is
given for the spleen. The root of this is carried around one
to prevent scorpions striking. They say that those who
have this shall not be bitten, and though they are touched
551
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
yet nothing will happen. Chewed, it eases toothaches. It
is also called philetaeria, while the Cappadocians call it
chiliodynamis.
4-9. SUMPHUTON PETRAION
suggested: Coris monspeliensis, Symphytum petraeum
— Montpellier Coris
see 3-174
S ymphitum Petraeum grows on rocks. It has little
branches similar to origanum, thin leaves, and little
heads like thyme. The whole plant is woody and has a
sweet smell, is sweet to the taste, and causes spittle. It has
a long, faint purple root almost the thickness of a finger.
This (boiled with honey and water and taken as a drink)
gets up vile stuff from the lungs. It is given with water to
those who spit up blood, and for inflammation in the
kidneys. Boiled with wine it is taken (as a drink) for
dysentery, and women's excessive bloody menstrual
discharges. It is boiled with vinegar and honey for
convulsions and hernias; and chewed it quenches thirst.
Used as a poultice it is good for the roughness of a sore
throat, heals new wounds, and represses vaginal hernias.
It also joins together broken flesh.
4-10. SUMPHUTON ALLO
suggested: Symphytum-magnum, Con soli da maior [Fuchs],
Symphytum consolida major [Bauhin],
Symphytum officinale [Linnaeus] — Comfrey, Knitbone
S ymphyton alterum sends out a stalk two feet high or
more — light, thick, angular, empty, similar to that of
sonchus [2-159] — around which comes (from not great
distances) rough narrow leaves, somewhat long, similar
to those of bugloss [4-128, 4-23 to 4-27], The stalk has
some extensions of slender leaves adhering to it,
stretching along at the corners. From every wing are
yellowish flowers standing up, and the seed is around
the stalk like verbascum [4-104], The whole stalk and
leaves have a somewhat prickly down that causes itching
if touched. The roots are underneath — to the outward
appearance black, but within white and slimy — of which
552
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Polemonium caeruleum
after FAGUET — 1888
553
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
Comfrey or Knitbone -
Symphytum officinale
after HEYNS — 1888
554
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
use is made. Pounded into small pieces (and taken in a
drink) they are good for bloodspitters and hernias.
Applied, they close up new wounds. Boiled, they join
pieces of flesh together. They are smeared on for
inflammations — most usefully for those in the perineum
— with the leaves of senecio [4-123]. It is also called pecton,
while the Romans call it soli dago.
4-11. OLESTION
suggested: H olosteum umbellatum — Holosteum, Chickweed,
Jagged Chickweed, Umbellate Stitchwort
H olostium is a little herb about three or four fingers
above the ground. It has astringent leaves, and
tendrils like those of coronopus [2-158] or grass; a very thin
root, similar to filaments, white to see, the thickness of
four fingers. It grows on hills. Boiled, this can also join
pieces of flesh together, and it is given (as a drink with
wine) for hernias.
4-12. STOIBE
suggested: Stobaea pinnata [Loudon]
— Carthmus-like Stobaea
Stipa pennata, Stipa barbata — Feather Grass, Stipa
Stipa tenacissima, M acrochloa tenacissima — Alfa, Esparto
S toebe is well known. The seed and the leaves are
astringent, so a decoction of them is given as a
suppository for dysentery, and it is dropped into
purulent ears. The leaves are applied to help bloodshot
eyes caused by a stroke, and they stop excessive bloody
discharges. It is also called tobion, while the Romans call it
stupa.
4-13. KLUMENON
UNKNOWN
C lymenon sends out a foursquare stalk similar to that
of the bean, and leaves similar to those of plantain. It
has little pods on the stalk (nodding together) similar to
iris and the curled tufts of the polypus. That on the hills is
555
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
the best. It is all juiced together with the root. The juice
(taken as a drink) is good for throwing-up blood, for
abdominal cavities, and for excessive bloody discharges.
It is astringent and cooling, and it stops flows of blood
that come out of the nostrils. The leaves or the pods,
pounded into small pieces and applied to new wounds,
bring them effectively to a scar. It is also called
calycanthemom, periclymenon, helyophthes, hepatitis, smilax,
anatolicon, dyticon, or merginem ; the Romans call it
volucrum, or volucrum maius ; the Egyptians call it oxiui,
clymenon, or clumenion, and they also call it agonon.
4-14. PERIKLUMEN ON
suggested: Periclymenus, Caprifolium [Fuchs], Periclymenum,
Lonicera periclymenum [Linnaeus], M ater silvana,
Lonicera caprifolium — Common Honeysuckle, Woodbine,
Perfoliate Honeysuckle, Caprifoly
P ericlymenon is a single little shrub with small whitish
leaves circling it at distances similar to QSSUS [2-210],
and by the leaves' emergence are seeds similar to cissus.
On top is a white flower similar to the bean, a somewhat
round hard seed (in a way) lying on the leaf and hard to
pluck out; the root is thick and round. It grows in fields
and hedges and winds itself around the neighbouring
shrubs. The seed of this is gathered when it is ripe and
dried in the shade. A teaspoonful (taken in a drink for
forty days) reduces the spleen, dissolves weariness, and
is good for difficult breathing and the hiccups. After the
sixth day it makes one urinate blood. It is also birth
hastening, and the leaves have the same strength. A
decoction (taken as a drink for thirty seven days) is said to
make men unfit for generation [birth control]. Rubbed
(with oil) on those who have fever fits that recur, it drives
away the shivering. It is also called aegine, clymenon,
carpathum, splenium, hepatitis, helxine major, clematitis,
myrsine, or cal yean themon; the Magi call it poliom veneris ,
the Egyptians, turcum, the Romans, volucrum majus, and
the Africans, I an at h.
556
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Stipa tenacissima
after FAGUET — 1894
557
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
42+ Saxifiagum.feu Empetrum,
Ul.’av: rautert.
558
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
4-15a. TRIBOLOS ENUDROS
SUGGESTED: Tribulus terrestris — Caltrops, Land Caltrops
T rapa natans — Water Caltrops
T ribulus has two types: the land kind has similar
leaves to portulaca [4-168] yet they are thin. The
vinelike branches are long, with stiff hard prickles on
them, and scattered on the ground. It grows near rivers
and in courtyards of houses. There is another kind found
in the water — which is also called bucephalus, or
tauroceros, or by the Romans, tribulus aquaticus — growing
in rivers, with the hair standing above but hiding the
prickle. The leaves are broad with a long stem, but the
stalk is thick at the top rather than in the bottom. On it
there are also certain hairy abnormal growths similar to
ears; the fruit is hard like that of the other. They are both
astringent and cooling, and are poultices for all
inflammation. With honey they heal thrush [candidiasis],
the tonsils, and rotten ulcers of the mouth and gums.
They are juiced for eye medicines. The seed (taken in a
drink when it is new) helps stones [urinary, kidney]. A
teaspoonful of the land kind (taken in a drink and
applied as well) recovers those bitten by vipers. It is good
against poisons (taken in a drink with wine) and a
decoction of it (sprinkled) kill s fleas. The Thracians living
by the river Strymon fatten horses with the green herb,
but the seed, sweet and nourishing, they take for food,
using it instead of bread.
T ribulus terrestris
after FAGUET — 1874
4-15b. SAXIPHRAGON
suggested: Saxifraga, Ruta-muraria [Fuchs], Saxifragum,
Empetrum [Brunfels], R uta muraria [Bauhin],
A splenium R uta-muraria [Linnaeus] — Wall Rue
[other usage] Saxifraga cymbalaria — Saxifrage, Rockfoil
S axifragum is a shrub (similar to epithymon) growing on
rocks and in rough places. The herb (boiled with
wine) is helpful in cases of slow painful urination when
there is no fever, but it is given with warm water while
the fever lasts. It also cures stones in the bladder and
559
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
Staticethouini
after FAGUET — 1892
encourages the urine. It is also called saxifrangum,
empetrum, scolopendrium, or bruchum, while the Romans
call it saxifraga, or sanaria.
4-16. LEIMONION
suggested: Limonium, Pyrola [Fuchs],
Pyrola rotundifolia major [Bauhin],
Pyrola rotundifolia [Linnaeus] — Wintergreen
[other usage] Statice limonium, Limonium vuigare,
Staticemaritima — Sea Lavender, Wild Marsh Beet
L imonium has ten or more leaves similar to beet yet
thinner and smaller, and a thin upright stalk equal
(as it were) to the lily, full of red seed, astringent to the
taste. An acetabulum [vinegar cruet] of the seed (pounded
into small pieces and taken in a drink with wine) is able to
help dysentery and abdominal cavities, and stop
women's excessive bloody menstrual discharges. It grows
in fields. It is also called neuroides, potamogeton, lonchitis, or
rapronium; the Mysians call it mendruta, the Syrians,
meuda, also, lycosemphyllon, helleborosemata, or scyllion; the
Magi call it cor lupi , the Romans, veratrum nigrum, some,
tintinabulum terrae, the Gauls, iumbarum, and the Dacians,
dacina.
4-17. LAGOPOUS
suggested: Lagopus, Leporinus pes, Trifolium humile [Fuchs],
T rifolium arvense [Linnaeus] — Field Clover, Hare's Foot
[other usage] Filago lagopus — Cotton Rose, Hare's Foot
L agopus is restrictive to the intestines if a decoction is
taken as a drink with wine (but for those with a fever
with water). It is also hanged about one for inflammation
of the groin. It grows in the ranks of corn. It is also called
cuminum leporis.
560
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Limonfum* iff
Wmtevgmn*
561
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
26 ^.
Lycopfi's.
.frlfdfc 43unt>g $tmg.
562
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
4-18. MEDION
suggested: Campanula medium — Canterbury Bells,
Mercury's Violet
Campanula cichoracea — Headed Bell Flower
M edium alpinum, Campanula laciniata — Bell Flower, Harebell
M edium grows in shady rocky places. It has leaves
similar to ser/'s [2-160], a great stalk of three feet,
round purple-coloured flowers, and small seed similar to
cnicus [4-119, 4-190]. The root is twenty centimetres long,
the thickness of a staff, bitter to the taste. Pounded into
small pieces when it is dry and licked in with honey that
has been boiled for several days, it stops excessive bloody
discharges. A decoction of the seed (taken as a drink with
wine) draws out the menstrual flow. It is also called
medica, trifolium, clemation, osmos, trigonos , cybellium, or
polyphyllon; the Romans call it tri folium odoratum, and the
Egyptians, epaphou.
4-19. EPIMEDION
SUGGESTED: Epimedium alpinum — Barrenwort, Bishop's Hat
E pi medium has a stalk that is not great, with about ten
or twelve leaves similar to QSSUS, (but it bears neither
seed nor flowers); the roots are thin, black, strongly-
scented and unsavoury to the taste. It grows in watery
places. The leaves (pounded into small pieces with oil)
make a poultice for the breasts so that they do not swell.
The root causes barrenness. Three teaspoonfuls of the
leaves pounded into small pieces, and taken as a drink in
wine for three days after the menstrual flow purgation,
keeps women from conception [birth control]. It is also
called erineos, thrias, or potyrrhizon, while the Romans call
it vin dicta.
4-20. XIPHION
SUGGESTED: Gladiolus illyricus — Gladiole, Sword Lily
Gladiolus communis, Gladiolus byzantinus — Sword Lily
X iphion is called phasganon because the shape of the
leaf is similar to that of iris, yet smaller, narrower.
563
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
—
Sparganium ramosum
(female inflorescence)
after FAGUET — 1894
pointed like a little sword, and fibrous. It sends forth a
stalk a foot long, on which are purple flowers distant
from one another by steps, round seed, and two roots —
one of them resting on the other — similar to little
scallions. That which lies underneath is slender but that
above, fuller. It grows (especially) in fields. The root that
is on top (applied with wine and frankincense) is able to
draw out prickles and splinters, and (with meal of lolium
[2-116, 4-140] and honey water) to dissolve the pannus
[opaque thickening of cornea with veins]. It is mixed with
similar plasters, and used for a pessary it draws out the
menstrual flow. They say that a decoction of the upper
root (taken as a drink with wine) encourages sexual
intercourse [aphrodisiac]; but that the lowest make them
without lust [anaphrodisiac], and that the upper root is
effective given to children that are broken [? foreskin or
hymen] in a liquid medicine with water. It is also called
machaeronion, anactorion, or arion; the Romans call it
gladiolus, and some, genitalis.
4-21. SPARG ANION
suggested: Sparganium simplex — Reed Grass, Bur Reed
Sparganium erectum, Sparganium ramosum
— Branched Bur Reed
S parganium has leaves similar to a little sword but
narrower and bending downward more, and on the
top of the stalk are little balls in which is the seed. The
root and seed are given with wine to those bitten by
venomous creatures. It is also called xiphidion, or bolon.
4-22. XURIS
suggested: Xyris indica, Xyris con gen sis, Xyris capensis
— Xyris
X yris has leaves similar to iris but broader and sharp at
the top, with a stalk breaking out of the middle of the
leaves — thick enough, one-foot long — on which are
triangular pods. On them is a purple flower, and in the
middle it is a Phoenician colour [red]. The seed (in little
cases) is similar to beans — round, red and sharp. The
long red root has many joints, and is good for wounds in
564
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Campanula media
after FAGUET — 1888
565
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
566
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
the head and fractures; and mixed with one third part
flour of brass [zinc oxide], a fifth part of the root of
centaury and sufficient honey, it extracts prickles and all
sorts of weapons without pain. Applied with vinegar it
cures oedema and inflammation. The root (bruised with
passu m [raisin wine]) is taken as a drink for convulsion,
hernia, sciatica, slow painful urination, and intestinal
discharges. Thirty grains of a decoction of the seed (taken
as a drink in wine) is most uretical. If a decoction is taken
as a drink with vinegar, it also reduces the spleen. It is
also called iris agria, or cactos, the Romans call it gladiolus,
some call it iris agrestis, while the Dacians call it aprus.
4-23. ANCHOUSA
suggested: Anchusa aggregata — Cluster-flowered Bugloss
Anchusa azurea, Anchusa italica, Anchusa paniculata,
Buglossum officinale — Italian Alkanet, Sea Bugloss
Alkanna tinctori a, Anchusa tinctoria, Lithospermum tinctorium
— Alkanet, Dyer's Bugloss or Spanish Bugloss
see 4-24, 4-119, 4-128
A nchusa has many prickly leaves (similar to the sharp-
leaved lettuce) — rough, sharp and black — on
every side of the root joining to the earth. The root is the
thickness of a finger, and the colour almost of blood. In
the summer it becomes astringent, dyeing the hands. It
grows in good grounds. The root has an astringent
nature: good (boiled in wax and oil) for burns and old
ulcers. Applied with polenta it cures erysipela
[streptococcal skin infection], vitiligines [form of leprosy];
and smeared on with vinegar it cures leprosy. Given as a
pessary it is an abortifacient. A decoction of it is given for
jaundice and inflamed kidneys, and it is given to the
splenetic (if they have a fever) with honey and water. A
decoction of the leaves (taken as a drink with wine) stops
discharges of the bowels. The ointment makers use the
root for thickening ointments. It is also called calyx,
onoclea, catanchusa, lybica, archibellion, onophyllon,
porphyris, mydusa, salyx, or nonea, while the Africans call it
buinesath.
567
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
4-24. ANCHOUSA ETERA
SUGGESTED: see 4-23, 4-128
A nchusa altera differs from the above in having smaller
leaves yet equally sharp. There are thin little
branches, with flowers of a purple colour drawing
towards a Phoenician [red]. The roots are red and very
long. Around harvest time they have something similar
to blood in them. It grows in sandy places. The root and
leaves are able to help those bitten by venomous
creatures — especially the viper-bitten — eaten, taken as
a drink, or hanged about one. Chewed and spat out into
the mouth of a venomous beast, it will kill him. It is also
called alcibiadian, or onocheiles.
4-25. ANCHOUSA ETERA
SUGGESTED: see 4-128
T here is also another similar to the above, but with a
smaller seed of a Phoenician [red] colour. Chewed
and spat out into the mouth of a snake, it will kill him. An
acetabulum [vinegar cruet] of a decoction the root (taken
as a drink with hyssop [3-30] and nasturtium [2-185])
draws out broadworms.
4-26. LUKOPSIS
suggested: Lycopsis arvensis, A nchusa arvensis
— Field Bugloss see 4-27
L ycopsis has leaves similar to lettuce — but longer,
thicker, sharp and broader — lying down around the
head of the root. It sends out a long, straight, rough stalk
with many prickly shoots a foot long, and on them little
flowers, almost a purple. The root is red and astringent. It
grows in level fields. The root (applied with oil) heals
wounds, and with polenta it heals erysipela [streptococcal
skin infection]. Pounded into small pieces and rubbed on
with oil it reduces sweating. This is also called anchusa.
568
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
i$o Echium Italics fpmofimn
<Qtffen$ung.
569
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
570
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
4-27. ECHION
suggested: Echion , Buglossum sylvestre,
Echium germanicum spinosum [Fuchs],
Buglossum sylvestre minus [Bauhin], Lycopsis arvensis
[Linnaeus] — Anchusa, Bugloss
[other usage] Echium plantagineum — Purple Viper's Bugloss
E chion has long, sharp, somewhat thin leaves similar to
those of anchusa [4-23 to 4-26], but smaller and fat,
with thin little prickles lying on them, similar to those
which make leaves rough. There are many thin little
stalks, and on either side thin little black leaves spread
abroad (similar to wings), smaller as they grow nearer to
the top of the stalk. The flowers by the leaves are a purple
colour, in which is the seed, similar to the head of a viper.
The root is thinner than a finger, somewhat black, a
decoction of which (taken as a drink with wine) not only
helps those already bitten by snakes, but also makes
those who drink it beforehand unbitten. Both the leaves
and the seed are of similar use. Taken with wine or some
other sipping it lessens the pain of the loins [digestive or
procreative]. It is also called aridan, or alcibiadion, while
the Romans call it al ci bi acu m [hal i cacabu m — a bad poison] .
4-28. OKIMOEIDES
suggested: 0 cimastrum, A cinos, 0 cimum sylvestre [Fuchs],
Clinopodium arvenseOcimi facie [Bauhin], Thymos acinos
[Linnaeus], Satureja acinos [in Sprague], 0 cimum pilosum,
A cinos vulgaris — Acinos
see 3-50, 3-109, 4-28, 4-176
O cimoides has leaves similar to basil, and rough
branches twenty centimetres long, with pods
similar to hyoscyamus [4-69] full of black seed similar to
melanthium [3-93]. A decoction of the seed (taken as a
drink in wine) is able to cure the viper -bitten and the bites
of other snakes. It is also given with myrrh [1-77, 1-73,
4-116] and pepper for sciatica. The root that lies
underneath is thin and useless. It is also called
philetaerium, echion , scorpiuron, sparganon, althaea ,
571
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
amaranthis, probataea, elaphion, antimimon, porphyris,
augion, nemesion, hyaenopsolon, thersites, thermutis, or
misopathos, while the Romans call it ocimastrum.
4-29. ERINOS
Agrostis interrupts
after FAGUET — 1894
suggested: Erinus hispanicus, Erinus alpinus [Bedevian]
— Erinus, Liver Balsam
E rinus grows by rivers and fountains and has leaves
similar to those of basil yet smaller and jagged at the
upper parts; with five or six little branches twenty
centimeters long, white flowers, and a little black seed
with an unpleasant taste. The stalk is full of liquid and so
are the leaves. Two teaspoonfuls of the seed (mixed with
four of honey and smeared on) stop discharges of the
eyes; and the juice soothes earache (dropped in the ears
with sulphur that never felt the fire and saltpetre
[potassium nitrate]). It is also called ocimoides, or hydrero,
while the Romans call it basil.
4-30. AGROSTIS
suggested: Gramen [Fuchs], Stellaria holostea [Linnaeus],
Caryophyllus arvensis glaber floremajore [Bauhin],
— Greater Stitchwort [Mabberley]
[other usage] A grostis alba, A grostis palustris
— White Bent Grass, Fiorin Grass
A grostis has little branches full of joints creeping on
the earth and growing out from the stalks; sweet,
knotty roots, the sharp leaves hard and broad like a little
reed, nourishing for cows and labouring cattle. The root
of this (pounded into small pieces) is applied to heal
wounds. A decoction of it (taken as a drink) is good for
griping, painful urination, and ulcers around the
bladder, and it breaks urinary stones. It is also called
aegicon, or amaxitist ; the Egyptians say anuphi, the
Romans, gramen, some say assefolium, sanguinalis, or
uniola, the Spaniards, aparia, the Dacians, cotiata, and the
Africans, jebal.
572
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
74 Gram in is genus,
tPeig
573
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
44 - 4 * Stacfiys*
&iec$eitbci;
574
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
4-31. KALAMAGROSTIS
suggested: Calamagrostis arenaria — Sea Sand Reed
Phragmites australis, Phragmites communis — Common Reed
R eed grass is bigger in every respect than gramen, but
eaten, it is a killer of labouring beasts (especially that
which grows in Babylon by the wayside).
4-32. AGROSTIS EN PARNASSO
suggested: Parnassia palustris — Grass of Parnassus
T he grass that grows on Parnassus is more full of
stems. It bears leaves similar to CISSUS [2-210], a white
flower, and has a sweet scent, a small seed, and five or six
effective roots of a finger's thickness — white, soft,
strong. The juice of this (boiled with wine, as much
honey, an half part of myrrh [1-77, 1-73, 4-116], pepper,
and a third part of frankincense) is an excellent medicine
for the eyes. It is stored in a brass box. A decoction of the
roots is good for the same disorders. The seed is strongly
diuretic, and stops vomits and flowing bowels. That
which grows in Cilicia (which the inhabitants call cinna)
inflames rude beasts if often fed on when it is moist.
4-33. SIDERITIS
suggested: Sideritis-prima [Fuchs],
Sideritis vulgaris hirsuta erecta [Bauhin],
Betonica annua var hirsuta, Stachys recta [Linnaeus],
Stachys procumbens, Stachys sideritis — Mountain Woundwort
S ideritis is a herb with leaves similar to marrubium [3-38]
but longer, similar to those of sage or oak, yet smaller
and sharp. It sends out foursquare stalks twenty
centimetres long or rather more — not unpleasant to the
taste, and somewhat gently astringent — on which are
round whorls at distances apart (similar to marrubium),
and in them is black seed. It grows in places under rocks.
The leaves (applied) are able to close open cuts and sore
wounds, and reduce inflammation. It is also called
Heraclea, the Magi call it genitura, some say the blood of
Titan, or the tail of a scorpion; Pythagoras says par mi r on,
575
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
Acreas, xanthophanes; Osthenes says buphthalmum, the
Egyptians, send ion or, the Romans, vertumnus, some,
solaster, and the Africans, asterchillos.
4-34. SIDERITIS ETERA
SUGGESTED: Stachys arvensis [Mabberley] — Stagger-weed
T he other sideritis has slender branches of two feet,
and leaves on long stems (similar to those of fern)
with many in-cuts towards the top on either side, and
from the upper wings long thin shoots with a rough head
on the top, round like a sphere, in which is the seed —
similar to beet but rounder and harder. This (with the
leaves) is good for wounds.
4-35. SIDERITIS TRITE
suggested: Stachys sylvatica — Hedge Woundwort
T here is said to be yet another sideritis (which Crateuas
calls heradea ) growing in walls and vineyards, with
many leaves from one root, similar to coriander, smooth
tender little stalks about twenty centimetres long,
somewhat white and ruddy; the little flowers of a
Phoenician [red] colour, bitter to the taste, clammy — and
the strength of this (applied) is that it congeals bleeding
and new wounds.
4-36. ACHILLEIOS
suggested: A chillea ageratum — Milfoil, Sweet Maudlin
A chillea atrata — Black Milfoil
Achillea fragrantissima, Santolina fragrantissima
— Lavender Cotton
chillea is also called achillea sideritis. It bears small
L JLrods a hand's width long (or rather more) in the
shape of spindles, and about them thin little leaves
having frequent in-cuts across like coriander —
somewhat red, clammy, smelling considerably, not
unpleasant but having a medicinal smell. There is a
round tuft on the top; the flowers white, resembling gold.
It grows in fertile places. The fibres of this (pounded)
576
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Rub us* 8 5
B:ombeci%
577
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
144. Heixme Ciflampelos*
iTlttteltmfc,
578
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
congeals bloody wounds, reduces inflammation, and
stops bleeding, as also of that of the womb (in a pessary);
and a decoction of this is a douche for the excessive
menstrual flows of women. It is also drunk for dysentery.
Some call it myriomorphon, chiliophyllon, stratioticon, or
Heracleon, the Romans, supercilium veneris; some call it
acorus sytvaticus, militaris, or millefolium , and the Africans
call it asterchillos.
4-37. BATOS
suggested: Rubus [Fuchs], R ubus vulgaris,
Rubus fructu nigro [Bauhin], R ubus fructiosus [Linnaeus],
R ubus plicatus — Blackberry, Common Bramble
B atus (with which we are familiar) binds and dries,
and it dyes the hair. A decoction of the tops of it (as a
drink) stops the flows of the intestines, restrains the
excessive menstrual flows of women, and is convenient
for the bites of the pr ester [mythological snake]. The
leaves are chewed to strengthen the gums and heal apthae
[aptylia — absence of saliva]. The leaves (applied)
restrain herpes [viral skin infection], heal running ulcers
on the head, drooping eyes, venereal warts, and
haemorrhoids. Pounded into small pieces and applied,
they are available for gastritis and heart conditions. The
juice from the bruised stalks and leaves stirred in the sun
does better for all the purposes previously mentioned.
The juice of the thoroughly ripe fruit is good put into oral
medicines. Eaten when it is half-ripe, it also stops
discharges of the intestines. The flowers of it (as a drink
with wine) also stop the bowels. It is also called cyn osbatos,
selinorition, or asyntrophon. The Magi say sanguis Titani ,
some, sanguis ibis, the Romans, sentis, some, rubus, or mora
Vatican a, the Dacians, mantia, the Egyptians, haemceos, and
some, ametros.
4-38. BATOS IDAIA
SUGGESTED: R ubus idaeus — Red Raspberry
I t is called rubus idaeus because it grows abundantly in
Ida — but it is much more tender than that above, with
little prickles, and it is also found without prickles. It does
579
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
the same things as that mentioned above, and
furthermore the flower (pounded into small pieces with
honey and rubbed on) helps eye inflammation, and
extinguishes erysipda [streptococcal skin infection]. It is
given in a drink with water for gastritis.
4-39. ELXINE KUSSAMPELOS
suggested: H elxine-cissampelos, Convolvulus,
Volubilis media [Fuchs], Convolvulus minor arvensis [Bauhin],
Convolvulus arvensis [Linnaeus] — Common Bindweed
Elatinepaludosa
after FAGUET — 1888
H elxine has leaves similar to c'lSSUS but smaller, with
long little branches clasping around wherever it
occurs. It grows in hedges, vineyards and corn. The juice
of the leaves (taken as a drink) has a laxative effect on the
bowels. It is also called ef/t/'s, canochersaea, amelxine , eusine,
amorgine, sucotachos , psychuacos, melampelon, cissampelon ,
cissamethon, or analetamenon, the Romans call it volutum
laparou, and the Egyptians, hapap.
4-40. ELATINE
suggested: Antirrhinum elatine, Linaria elatine,
Cymbal aria elatine — Elatine, Cancerwort,
Pointed-leaved Toadflax
Elatine hydropiper — Water Pepper, Waterwort, Pipewort
E latine has leaves similar to helxine [above] but smaller,
rounder, and hairy. The five or six branches are thin,
twenty centimetres long from the root, full of leaves that
are sharp to the taste. It grows among corn and in tilled
places. The leaves (applied with polenta) are able to help
inflamed rheumatic eyes. Boiled and sipped it stops
dysentery.
580
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Parnassia palustris
after FAGUET — 1894
581
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
Qtnncjuefolut Hiatus Candida, 3 >7
©;of$ voci$ fittgcrfraut*
582
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
4-41. EUPATORION
suggested: E upatorium, Agrimonia [Fuchs],
Eupatorium veterum [Bauhin], Agrimonia eupatori a [Linnaeus]
— Agrimony, Cocklebur, Liverwort, Sticklewort
[other usage] Eupatorium syriacum — Syrian Eupatorium
Eupatorium cannabinum — Hemp Agrimony
E upatorium is an herb like a shrub placing out one stem
— thin, woody, straight, black and rough — half a
metre long or rather more, and the leaves jagged (at
distances) most commonly into five parts (or rather more,
similar to those of quinquefolium or even cannabis), and
those inclining to black, cut-in on the edges like a saw.
The seed grows all around from the middle of the stalk,
somewhat rough, bending downward so that dried it
sticks to clothes. The leaves of this (pounded fine and
applied with old swines' grease) heal difficult scars on
ulcers. The seed and herb (taken as a drink with wine)
help dysentery and serpent bites. Some were deceived
and called this artemisia, for it is diverse (as we have
shown). It is also called hepatorium, or hepatitis, while the
Romans call it volucrum maius.
4-42. PENTAPHULLON
suggested: Quinquefolium maius candidum [Fuchs],
Quinquefolium album majus aiterum [Bauhin], Potentiiia alba
[Linnaeus] — Tormentil [Mabberley]
[other usage] Pentafillo [Italian], Potentiiia pimpinelloides,
Potentiiia opaca, Potentiiia hirta — Five Fingers Grass,
Five Leaf, Cinquefoil
P entaphyllum has thin branches like festuca [fescue
grass] twenty centimetres long, on which is the seed.
It has leaves similar to mint, five on every stem but rarely
anywhere more, cut-in all around like a saw. The flower
is pale, white, or yellowish like gold. It grows in moist
places and by rivers; and it has a somewhat long reddish
root (thicker than black hellebore) that is of considerable
use. A decoction of the root reduced one third by
simmering (held in the mouth) is able to relieve
toothache. Used as a mouthwash it stops rotten ulcers in
the mouth; gargled, it relieves roughness of the throat;
Agrimonia eupatori a
after FAGUET — 1888
Potentiiia congesta
after FAGUET — 1888
583
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
and taken as a drink it helps flowing bowels, dysentery,
arthritis, and sciatica. Pounded finely, boiled in vinegar
and applied, it restrains herpes [viral skin disease], and
dissolves swellings, goitres, hardened places, oedema,
aneurisms, suppurations, erysipela [skin inflammation],
and conjunctivitis, and it heals skin lesions and psoriasis.
The juice from the tender root is good for disorders in the
liver and the lungs, and for deadly poisons. The leaves
are taken in a drink with honey water or diluted wine
and a little pepper for recurrent fevers; the leaves of four
little branches for a paroxysm every fourth day, three for
a paroxysm every third day, and one for a paroxysm
every day. They help epilepsy (taken as a drink for thirty
days), and three glasses of the juice of the leaves (taken as
a drink for some days) soon cures jaundice. Applied with
salt and honey they heal wounds and fistulas. Taken as a
drink (or else applied) it helps those who are broken
[foreskin or hymen], and stops flows of blood. It is cut for
washing, discharges of blood, and purification.
(If anyone carries pentadactylon [ cinquefoil ] around his
body he remains without suffering. It helps the eyes,
tumours [possibly goitre], hardened tonsils, the uvula,
sores under the tongue, the joints, disorders of the
nerves, the teeth, and scabies [itchy parasitical disease]
caused by a pernicious famine, as well as drawing down
the afterbirth. A decoction (poured on the hands) is
excellent against fears and enchantments, therefore
gather the herb when the moon increases at the time of
the sun arising.) It is also called pentapetes, pentatomon,
pentadactylon, pseudoselinon, callipetalon, xyloloton,
xylopetalon, asphalton, pentacoenon, or thymiatitis ; the
Egyptians call it orphitebeoce, some, enotron, the Magi,
unguis ibis, some, ala ibis, or hermodactylon, the Romans,
quinquefolium, the Gauls pempedula, and the Dacians,
propedula.
4-43. PHOINIX
suggested: H ordeum murinum - Wall Barley
P hoenix has leaves similar to barley only shorter and
narrower, with an ear [of seed] similar to lolium
[2-116, 4-140]; branches around the root six fingers in
length, and the ears seven or eight. It grows in fields and
584
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
I84.
Eqiiifetum*
J\off3fc^tran5,
E quisetum
after FUCHS — 1545
585
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
586
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
on newly-mortared roofs. A decoction (taken as a drink in
hard wine) it is able to stop discharges of the intestines,
the excessive discharges of blood from the womb, and
excessive urine. Some say that it is a blood-stauncher,
bound in red wool and hanged about one. It is also called
rhus, anchinops, phoeni copter on, rhus stachyos, or ostheles.
The Romans say patotucupinum, the Egyptians, athnon.
4-44. IDAIA RHIZA
UNKNOWN — this means root from Ida
I daea radix has similar leaves to oxymyrsine near which
there grows out (as it were) little tendrils and flowers.
The root of this is especially astringent serving as such for
those for whom there is need. It is taken in a drink for
discharges of the intestines and women's excessive
menstrual discharges. It stops all discharges of blood.
4-45. RHODIA RADIX
suggested: Rhodia-radix [Fuchs], Radix rhodia [Bauhin],
Rhodiola rosea [Linnaeus], Sedum rhodiola [in Sprague],
Sedum roseum — Roseroot, Rosy-flowered Stonecrop
R hodia radix grows in Macedonia, similar to COStus
[1-15] but lighter and uneven, making a scent when
bruised similar to that of roses. It is useful for those
aggrieved with headaches, bruised and applied with a
little rosaceum [1-53] and applied moist to the forehead
and temples. It is also called rhodida.
4-46. IPPOURIS
suggested: Equisetum minus, Equisetum brevius [Fuchs],
H ippuris, Equisetum arvense [Linnaeus], Cauda equina
— False Horsetail, Horsepipe, Bottlebrush,
Meadow Horsetail
[other usage] H ippuris vulgaris — Mare's Tail, Bottlebrush,
Witches' M ilk
H ippuris grows in moist places and ditches. It has
empty little reddish stalks distinguished by joints
growing one into another, and around them many thin
587
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
rushy leaves. It grows to a height climbing on the trunks
of trees standing nearby, and hangs on them. It is
surrounded with many black filaments similar to the tail
of a horse. The root is woody and hard, and the herb is
astringent. The juice of it stops discharges of blood from
the nostrils. A decoction (taken as a drink with wine)
helps dysentery and induces urine. Pounded into small
pieces (and sprinkled on) it closes bleeding wounds. Both
the root and herb help coughs and asthma. It is said also
that a decoction of the leaves (taken as a drink in water)
joins openings of the intestines, and any cutting-apart of
the bladder, and hernia. It is also called trimdchion,
anabasis, cheredranon, phaedra, itiandendron, gis, or
schoniostrophon , while the Egyptians say pherphram, the
Magi, cibusSaturni, the Romans, equinalis, and some, salix
equinalis, anabasion, or ephudron.
4-47. IPPOURIS ETERA
suggested: Equisetum longius, H ippuris, Polygonum foemina
[Fuchs], Equis&um palustre [Linnaeus] — Meadow Horsetail
[other usage] E quisetum hyemale , E quisetum scirpoides
— Common Scouring Bush
H ippuris alterum has a stalk that is straight, even
higher than a foot (as it were) empty, with shorter,
whiter, softer filaments at distances. Mixed with vinegar
it heals wounds, having the same strength as that above.
It is also called equitium, chedra, or gyon, while the Romans
say salix equinalis.
4-48. KOKKOS BAPHIKE
suggested: Cocculus officinale, Cocculus plukenetii [Loudon]
— Cocculus — twining shrub
A namirta cocculus , A namirta paniculata
— Cocculus Indicus Plant
Quercus cocci fer a — Kermes Oak — little coccus insect is found on it
Coccus means berries as well as being the name of the dyer's insect.
C OCCum ti n Cti I e is a little shrub full of sprigs, to which
cling grains like lentils which are taken out and
stored. The best is from Galatia and Armenia, then that
from Asia and that from Cilicia, and last of all that from
588
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
589
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
590
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Spain. Pounded into small pieces and applied with
vinegar it is astringent, and good for wounds and lost
strength. That in Cilicia grows on oaks [with grains]
similar in shape to a little snail, which the women there
gather by mouth, and call them coccum.
4-49. TRAGION
suggested: Chenopodium vulvaria, Tragium germanicum
— Stinking Motherwort
T ragium grows only in Crete. It has leaves, stems and
seed similar to lentiscus [1-90] but all smaller. It has a
liquid similar to gum. The leaves, seed and fluid (applied
with wine) draw out arrowheads, splinters, and all things
fastened within. A decoction (taken as a drink) cures slow
painful urination, breaks stones in the bladder, and
induces the menstrual flow. A teaspoonful is taken. They
say that wild goats that have been shot feed on this herb
and put out the arrows.
4-50. TRAGION ALLO
suggested: H erba a cent gouts [French], A rtemisia vulgaris
— Motherwort, Mugwort
T ragium alter urn has leaves similar to scolopendrium
[3-121], and a thin white root similar to wild raphanus,
which is eaten (raw or boiled) to help dysentery. In the
autumn the leaves put out the scent of a goat. As a result it
is called tragium. It grows in steep hilly places. It is also
called tragos, tragoceros, scorpion, or garganon, while the
Romans say cornulaca , some, bituensa, the Dacians, salia,
the Egyptians, sober, and the Africans, achiosm.
4-51. TRAGOS
suggested: Tragus berteronianus — Carrot Seed Grass
see 2-115
T ragus grows particularly near the sea. It is a little
shrub, on the ground, somewhat long, not large,
about twenty centimetres tall or more. It has no leaves.
591
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
but on the branches there hang (as it were) many little red
kernels about the size of wheat, sharp on the top,
especially astringent to the taste. Ten kernels of the seed
of this (taken as a drink with wine) help the abdomen and
women having their discharges [menstrual flow]. Some
also beat it and make it into tablets for storage to use later.
It is also called scorpion, or traganos.
4-52. SCHOINOS
suggested: Schoenus incanus — Bog Rush
Schoenus ferrugineous — Rusty Bog Rush
Shoenus mucronatus — Clustered Bog Rush
J uncus conglomeratusj uncus effusus — Rushes, Sweet Rushes
J uncus arabicus — Rush, Sea Rush
J uncus acutus — Sharp Rush, Dutch Rush
see 1-16
T wo types of shoenus are found, the one of which is
called the smooth juncus, the other the sharp juncus,
pointed on the top, and of this again there are two types
for one is barren, and the other has a round, black seed —
but the reeds of this are thicker and more fleshy. There is
a third type — much more fleshy and rougher than the
first two — which is called holoschoenos, and this also has
seed on the top similar to that before it. The seed of any of
them (dried and taken in a drink with diluted wine) stops
discharges of the intestines, and excessive bloody
discharges, and induces urine. It is also good for
headaches, and the tender leaves near the root (applied)
are good for harvest spider bites. The Ethiopian juncus
has seed that will cause sleep. We must beware of too
much of it in liquid medicines for it encourages sleep
excessively. It is also called juncus laevis, oxypternos, or
supercilium solis, while the Romans say juncus marinus,
some, juncus manual is, and the Africans, chudua.
592
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Sedum acre
after FAGUET — 1874
593
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
Chryfnntliermifn fimplcx. 507
0ii0cfiilltc 0ct>maU3bluin.
594
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
4-53. LEICHEN
suggested: Lichen, H epatica [Fuchs], Lichen petraeus latifolius,
Hepatica fontana [Bauhin], M archantia polymorpha [Linnaeus]
[other usage] Lecanora esculenta — Manna Lichen
A lectori a jubata — Rock Hair Moss, Horse-hair Lichen
Parmelia saxatilis — Lichen
L ichen grows on rocks and is also called bryon. It is a
moss sticking to moist rocks. This is applied to stop
discharges of blood, lessen inflammation, and heal lichen
[papular skin disease], and applied with honey it helps
jaundice. It also helps the fluids of the mouth and tongue
[saliva].
4-54. PARONUCHIA
suggested: Paronychia serpyllifolia
— Thyme-leaved Nailwort
P aronychia grows among rocks. It is a small shrub
similar to peplus — less in length but larger in the
leaves. It is applied (bruised) to all, to heal whitlows and
favus [contagious honeycombed skin disease]. It is also
called adocetos, neuras, or phrynion, while the Romans call
it unguinaiis.
Paronychia serpyllifola
after FAGUET — 1888
4-55. CHRUSOKOME
SUGGESTED: Chrysocoma [Bedevian] — Goldylocks
also: Chrysocoma linosyris, Chrysocoma villosa
C hrysocome is a small shrub twenty centimetres long
with filaments like corymbi [flattened inflorescences]
resembling hyssop [3-30]; a slender thick root like black
hellebore — not unpleasant to the taste, equal to Cyprus
[1-124], somewhat sour in its sweetness. It grows in
shady, rocky places. The root is warming and binding —
of suitable use for the liver and pneumonia. It is taken
(boiled with honey water) for cleansing the womb. It is
also called chysitis, chrysanthemon, amarantum, or the
beard of Jupiter, while the Romans say lovis barba, the
Africans, dubath, and some, burchumath.
595
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
4-56. CHRUSOGONON
suggested: Bongardia chrysogonum — Golden Rod
C hrysogonum has leaves similar to the oak, but the
shrub is thick, and has flowers similar to verbascum
coronarium [4-104]; a root similar to rape [coleseed],
strongly red within but with the exterior black. Pounded
finely with vinegar and applied, it helps the bites of the
shrewmouse.
4-57. ELICHRUSON
suggested: A marantus luteus, Stichas citrina,
Helichryson [Fuchs], Gnaphalium arenarium [Linnaeus],
Helichrysum arenarium [in Sprague], H elichrysum chinophylum,
H elichrysum arenarium — Helichrysum, Cudweed,
Eternal Flower, Golden Sunflower
H elichrysum (with which they crown their statues)
has a little stem — white, green, straight and strong
— and narrow leaves (similar to those of abrotanum ) set
apart at distances, the filaments circular, shining like
gold; a round tuft, (as it were) dry bunches of berries, and
a thin root. It grows in rough places near running water.
A decoction of the filaments (taken as a drink with wine)
helps painful urination, the bites of snakes, sciatica, and
hernia. A decoction (taken as a drink with must [pulp
from grapes]) induces the menstrual flow, and dissolves
clots of blood in the bladder or bowels. Thirty grains in a
dilution of white wine (given to one fasting) stops
dripping fluids. It is stored together with clothes,
protecting them from moths. It is also called
chrysanthemon, while some call it amarantum.
596
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
294- Papauer erratfcumaltcrum.
043 aiitu-r c^cfdjlcdjr bcr BUppcnofen.
597
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
Papauer crratinim primum. 395
Qze crjt gcfrijled)*: bet: ^fcppmofert.
598
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
4-58. CHRUSANTHEMON
suggested: Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum simplex [Fuchs],
Ranunculus pratensis erectus dulcis [Bauhin ], Ranunculus repens
[Linnaeus] — Creeping Buttercup [Mabberley]
[other usage] Chrysanthemum seg&um — Corn Marigold,
Corn Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum coronarium — Garden Chrysanthemum,
Crown Marigold, Crown Daisy
C hrysanthemon is a tender shrubby herb, bringing out
smooth stalks, very jagged leaves all around, and
yellowish flowers strongly shining with an eye (which is
why it is called this). It grows in towns, and the stalks are
eaten as vegetables. The flowers (pounded into small
pieces with wax ointment) are said to dissolve steatomata
[encysted fatty tumour]. It gives the jaundiced a good
colour in good time given to drink after they have spent a
long time in the baths. (Chrysanthemon you take out of the
earth before the rising of the sun. They are astringent to
the body, and are hung around the neck, being good for
averting women witches and all enchantments.) It is also
called bupthalmum, calchas, chalcitis, chalcanthum, or
chalcanthemon, the Romans say acantha, the Thuscans,
garuleum, and the Africans, churzeta.
4-59. AGERATON
suggested: A chillea ageratum — Sweet Maudlin, Milfoil
A geratum conyzoides — Floss Flowers, Goat Weed,
Bastard Agrimony, Celestine
geratum is a low shrub twenty centimetres long, full
L JLof single sprigs, similar (especially) to origanum;
with a tuft on which is a flower (like a protuberance) of a
golden colour, smaller than helichrysum. It is called
ageratum because the flower remains for a long time,
keeping its colour. A decoction of it is burning [to take or
use]. Smoke from the herb itself is inhaled to induce the
movement of urine, and to soften hardness around the
womb.
599
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
4-60. PERISTEREON ORTHOS
suggested: Peristereon, Vervain [Pliny], Verbenaca recta,
Verbena recta [Fuchs], Sinapis alterum genus sylvestre,
Erysimum vuigare [Bauhin], Erysimum officinale [Linnaeus],
Sisymbrium officinale [in Sprague]
— Hedge Mustard [Mabberley]
[other usage] V erbena triphytla, A loysia citriodora, L ippia citrata,
Lippi a citriodora — Lemon Verbena, Herb Louisa
P eristereon orthos grows in watery places. It seems to be
named this because doves gladly stop around it. It is
a n herb with a height of twenty centimetres (or rather
more) the whitish leaves cut-in, growing out of the stalk.
It is found for the most part with only one shoot and one
root. It seems that the leaves (applied as a pessary with
rosaceum [1-53] or new swines' grease) cause womb pains
to stop. Applied with vinegar it represses erysipela
[streptococcal skin infection] and rotten ulcers, and joins
new wounds, and with honey it heals old ones with a
new skin. The upright peristereon extends the pudendum
[genitals], but that which bends is drying. The upright
(tied to one) is good for pains of the eyes, dimness of
sight, and headache, and it eases weariness. Bruised with
vinegar it immediately dissolves scrofulous tumours
[glandular swelling], goitres, and hardened tonsils.
When anyone shivers with a fever let someone with
branches from this stand before him and immediately he
is cured. It is also called trygonium , bunion, sacra herba, or
philtrodotes-, the Egyptians say pempsempte, the Magi,
I u non is lachryma, some say the blood of the weasel, the
Romans, crista gallinacea, and some, ferrea, trixatis, exupera,
or herba sanguinalis.
4-61. PERISTEREON UPTIOS,
IEROBOTANE
suggested: Peristereon, Verbenaca, Vervain [Pliny],
Verbena su pin a, Verbenaca supina [Fuchs],
Verbena communis caeruio fiore [Bauhin], Verbena officinalis
[Linnaeus] — Vervain, Pigeon's Grass, Holy Herb
H ierabotane sends out angular stems of a foot (or
rather more) around which are the leaves at
distances — similar to the oak, yet narrower, smaller and
600
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
Papauer fatniupurpureS & albu. isj
3amec tT!« 3 fomen.
601
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
602
THE HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES THE GREEK
cut-in all around, drawing to an azure [blue]. The root is
somewhat long and thin; the flowers purple and thin.
The leaves and root (given to drink with wine or smeared
on) are useful against snakes. A teaspoonful of a
decoction of the leaves with thirty grains of frankincense
in one half-pint of old wine is taken as a drink for
jaundice by one fasting for forty days. The leaves
(applied) lessen inflammation and long-lasting oedema,
and clean foul ulcers. The whole herb (boiled with wine)
breaks crusts all around in the tonsils. Gargled, it stops
erosive ulcers in the mouth. An infusion of it sprinkled in
feasts is said to make the guests merrier [relaxant]. The
third joint from the earth (with all the leaves) is given to
drink to those who have a paroxysm every third day. The
fourth joint is given to those who have a paroxysm every
fourth day. They call it sacra herba because it suitable for
use as amulets in purification. It is also called peristereon
[huption], erigenion, chamadycon, sideritis, curitis,
phersephoriion, lovis colum, dichromon, callesis, hipparison, or
demetrias; the Egyptians say pemphthephtha ; Pythagoras
calls it erysisceptron, and the Romans, cincinnalis.
4-62. ASTRAGALOS
suggested: A stragalus gummifera — Astragal, Milk Vetch
A stragalus glycyphyllos — Milk Vetch, Liquorice Vetch
see 1-113
Stragalus is a small little shrub on the ground, similar
L \.to chickpea in the leaves and sprigs. The little leaves
are purple, and the root lies underneath — round, of a
good amount, similar to the radish, with strong, black,
hard growths folded one within another like horns —
pleasantly astringent to the taste. It grows in windy,
shady and snowy places, and in great abundance in
Memphis, Arcadia. A decoction of the root (taken as a
drink in wine) stops flowing bowels and induces urine. It
is good (similarly) dried into powder and sprinkled on
old ulcers, and it staunches blood. It is pounded with
difficulty because of the solidity of it. It is also called
chamaesyce, onyx, or gatales, the Romans say pinus trivius,
as well as ficus terrae, and some call it glacula, scene talum,
or non aria.
603
BOOK FOUR: OTHER HERBS & ROOTS
4-63. UAKINTHOS
suggested: Hyacinthus caeruleus maximus [Fuchs],
Hyacinthus comosus major purpureus [Bauhin],
Hyacinthus comosus [Linnaeus], M uscari comosum [in Sprague]
— Tassel Hyacinth
Hyacinthus caeruleus maior [Fuchs],
Hyacinthus racemosus caeruleus monor latifolius [Bauhin],
Hyacinthus botyroides [Linnaeus], M uscari botyroides
— Grape Hyacinth
ALSO: Scilla bi folia [Linnaeus] — Squill
H yacinthus has leaves similar to a bulbus [2-200]; a
smooth green stalk twenty centimetres long,
thinner than a little finger; a curled calyx lying on it full of
flowers of a purple colour, and the root similar to bulbus.
Smeared with white wine on boys this is thought to keep
them hairless; it also is therapeutic for the bowels. A
decoction (taken as a drink) induces urine, and helps
those bitten by harvest spiders. The seed is more
astringent and is put in treacles. A decoction (taken as a
drink with wine) cleanses jaundice. It is also called
helonias, or porphyranthes; the Romans call it vaccinium,
and some, ulcinum.
4-64. MEKON ROIAS
suggested: P apaver-erraticum primum [Fuchs], Papaver r